Charges Against Driver In Fatal Wrong-Way Tappan Zee Bridge Crash Dismissed

NEW CITY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Criminal charges have been dismissed against a man who drove the wrong way on the Tappan Zee Bridge, causing a fatal crash.

Rockland County District Attorney Tom Zugibe said evidence against the driver, Michael Schechel, failed to show he acted deliberately. Zugibe said Schechel had taken prescribed medication.

Schechel was charged last year with criminally negligent homicide in connection with the July, 2013 crash that resulted in a five-car pileup.

Police said Schechel was driving south in a white SUV in the northbound lanes of the bridge when his vehicle slammed head-on into a Nissan that was being driven by Newman Ayeh-Brachie.

Newman Ayeh-Brachie's wife, Hannah Ayeh-Brachie, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident closed the northbound state Thruway for hours. Motorists on bridge got out of their cars and watched as responders treated the injured and investigated the scene.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)