A Kirkwood man was involved in a car crash that left one person dead. 37-year-old Thomas Rome was driving along Interstate 490 in Gates, New York early Saturday morning when he hit another car, driven by 69-year-old Tatiana Tchekina of Rochester, head-on. Tchekina was killed in the crash, and her husband, Oleh Krysa, a passenger in her SUV, suffered minor injuries. When police arrived at the scene, they say Rome had suffered serious injuries and was unconscious, and smelled of alcohol. At this time, charges are pending.
Rome was alone in his car, and was reportedly driving west in the eastbound lane of the road when he collided with Tchekina. He suffered a possible broken femur and a severe injury to his left arm before he was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital. Krysa was also taken to Strong, and has since been treated and released. After the initial collision with Rome, Tchekina’s car was clipped by an eastbound pickup truck traveling behind her, and two other vehicle behind the pickup were damaged after driving over debris.
Tchekina was a music professor at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester.
