Was deadly Brooklyn car accident caused by caffeinated drink?

Two off-duty corrections officers were killed recently in an early-morning car accident on Brooklyn’s King’s Highway when their Nissan SUV swerved out of control into the oncoming traffic. The women were hit by an off-duty police officer who slammed into the passenger-side door of the other vehicle. It was not clear which of the women had been driving.

Both of the corrections officers worked at Rikers Island. The off-duty officer, who was stationed at the 90^th Precinct in Williamsburg, was treated and released from Kings County Hospital.

Police are seeking to determine why the Nissan went into the other lane. The results of toxicology tests are pending, but one source told the New York Post that a can of Four Loko, a caffeinated alcoholic drink that is legal in New York but banned in some other states, was found in the women’s vehicle.

Other witnesses mentioned that the driver of the Nissan may have been speeding before the accident.

Neighborhood residents say that accidents are common on the stretch of road where the crash occurred.

Whether caffeinated alcoholic drinks are implicated in car accidents is a subject of debate. Consumption of caffeine is known to trigger seizures in some people, especially in those whose sleep patterns are disrupted. Consuming alcohol and caffeine together can mask the effects of alcohol for a while, leaving motorists feeling wrongly that they are safe to drive. Four Loko, known among college students as “blackout in a can,” has played a role in a number of motor vehicle accidents and other incidents across the United States.

Source: New York Post, “Two corrections officers killed in car crash,” Dec. 17, 2012.