Fire Chief James Allen was attempting to close a southbound lane of the Meadowbrook State Parkway on Jan. 26 to protect the scene of a collision that occurred in the center lane.
A trooper told the chief that he didn't want the lane blocked and insisted he allow both lanes to remain open. After Allen refused, the trooper threatened to arrest him, and then issued him a citation.
Volunteer firefighters from the surrounding area filled the Hempstead courtroom in support. The crash victim and her mother were also in attendance.
After stating his case, Allen and his lawyer were called to see the judge and within a few minutes they returned with the case having been dismissed, according to the report.
The courtroom broke into applause and the victim of the crash expressed her relief.
"I am so glad it was dismissed," she told The Patch. "I was in so much pain and was so scared and there were cars coming at me and it was snowing. Chief Allen was so helpful and I am just so happy that it ended up getting dismissed."
Following the dismissal, Allen thanked all of those who came to support him.
"I am so happy that this is over," he said. "It's over, it's done with and now we are going to move on."
