Police: 1 dead in wrong-way crash on Southern State Parkway

A wrong-way crash on the Southern State Parkway in Islip Terrace left the driver of one car dead and another in critical condition, State Police said Wednesday.

Travis Sloboda, 24, of East Islip, was driving a 1993 Subaru when he was struck head-on and killed just after 10 p.m. Tuesday by the wrong-way vehicle east of Exit 43A, Carleton Avenue, police said.

Police are examining whether the wrong-way driver, Edward Ogden, 63, of Bay Shore, could have experienced a medical emergency, or if speed or weather played a role in the crash Tuesday night, said State Police senior investigator Thomas Hughes, of the Farmingdale barracks. There was heavy fog in some areas.

Ogden was driving a 2004 Buick westbound in the eastbound lanes when he struck Sloboda's eastbound vehicle, police said. Ogden was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where police said he is listed in critical condition.

No charges have been filed against Ogden, who spoke briefly with investigators after the crash and was described as "cooperative," Hughes said. Police have "no indication" that Ogden was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash, he said.

It was the second fatal crash on the Southern State in less than 24 hours. Earlier Tuesday, two Queens men were killed in a single-car crash on the parkway in North Valley Stream when their car hit an overpass and ignited.

No one answered the door Wednesday at Sloboda's home, where neighbors said he and his parents had lived for about a decade. Family members did not return phone messages.

Kathy Spruyt, who has lived in a house next door to the Sloboda family for 33 years, said Travis Sloboda graduated from East Islip High School and attended Suffolk County Community College. She described him as a "very, very nice boy."

"It's a shame," she said. "This is tragic. He was a very nice kid, always respectful."

Another neighbor, Steve, who declined to give his last name, said: "It's a terrible tragedy. My family couldn't feel any more heartbroken, any more remorse for his family. He did nothing wrong. He was just starting his life. He was a good kid."

At the Bay Shore apartment complex where Ogden lived, neighbors said he was polite, but mostly kept to himself. He walked with a pronounced limp, they said.

"What a shame," said Frances Dunnigan, 56. "He was a very nice guy. He always spoke and said, 'Hello.' I hope he makes it."

Ogden's family did not respond to phone messages.

Investigators said it's unclear how long Ogden was driving the wrong way and where he entered the parkway. Police are asking anyone with information about the wrong-way crash to call investigators at 631-756-3300.

With John Valenti

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.