Suffolk officer severely injured in crash identified as Timothy Thrane

Suffolk police on Thursday identified the officer severely injured in a crash as a Seventh Precinct officer who joined the force three years ago.

Timothy Thrane, 35, suffered a life-threatening brain injury while directing traffic in Yaphank early Wednesday.

Officials said Thrane, who is married and is the father of three children, was in stable condition Thursday but remains in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator at Stony Brook University Hospital.

William Petersohn, 38, of Mastic, had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and glassy, bloodshot eyes after the accident, according to court papers. He was charged with driving while intoxicated. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said the blood alcohol toxicology report was still pending Friday.

Petersohn was also injured in the crash and appeared on video from his room at Stony Brook University Hospital.

He was joined in his room by his Legal Aid attorney, Jacqueline Flores, who entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip.

Assistant District Attorney James Scahill asked the court to suspend Petersohn’s license, force him to surrender his passport and place him on supervised release.

Scahill said the officer was standing outside his patrol car attending to an unrelated crash when Petersohn crashed into the police cruiser.

"He struck the car, causing it to fishtail and spin into the police officer," Scahill said.

The suspect was ordered to return to court on Nov. 24.

A fund established for Thrane and his family has raised more than $75,000 in less than 24 hours.

"This money will take the burden off them in what is going to be a stressful time," said Suffolk Police Benevolent Association Seventh Precinct trustee C.J. Hutter.

He said doctors have said they are "cautiously optimistic" that Thrane will make a full recovery.

Hutter has worked with Thrane since the injured officer joined the force three years ago. "It was his lifelong dream to join the Suffolk County Police Department and Tim loves what he does," Hutter said.

Hutter and Austin Glickman, an NYPD officer who also helped establish the fundraiser, said the outpouring of support for Thrane may be driven by similarities to the death of Officer Anastasios Tsakos, an NYPD officer who died in April while directing traffic on the Long Island Expressway in Queens.

Glickman, the president of Law Enforcement Officers Weekend, which offers support to the families of first-responders injured or killed on duty, said the original goal was $25,000. The fundraiser, at FundtheFirst.com, is endorsed by the Suffolk PBA.

"Everybody rallies around each other at times like these," said Glickman, the president of Law Enforcement Officers Weekend, which offers support to the families of first-responders injured or killed on duty.

Donors include Suffolk Police officer Christopher Racioppo, who nearly bled to death in April after he was stabbed during a struggle with a drunken driving suspect in Patchogue. Racioppo spent 16 days in Stony Brook University Hospital this spring before making a full recovery and returning to work.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story included incorrect information about William Petersohn's blood-alcohol level and incorrectly attributed it to Suffolk prosecutors. Prosecutors have not yet received lab results.