Refvik
WHITE PLAINS – White Plains firefighter Erik Refvik, 35, of White
Plains pled guilty in Westchester County Court on Friday to a 16-count
indictment in connection with a the death of a woman in a motor vehicle
accident.
On November 3, 2014 at about 4:30 a.m., Refvik was driving a pickup truck
at about 65 miles per hour, colliding with a 2000 Honda Civic that was
waiting at a traffic light. The force of the head-on crash pushed the
Honda nearly half a football field down South Lexington Avenue, killing
the passenger, Reyda La Madrid, and seriously injuring the driver.
Over a span of about 12 hours prior to the collision, Refvik was seen
on video drinking at a number of bars in downtown White Plains.
At the time of the crash, experts put his blood alcohol content at .21
percent, more than 2 ½ times the legal limit. He also had a cocktail
of exacerbating substances in his system consisting of cocaine, clonazepam,
and bath salts.
He was arrested at Westchester Medical center the same day.
When sentenced in September, he faces a prison term of a minimum of one
to three years to a maximum of eight-and-a-third to 25 years.
