Incident
Trooper Winston Martindale succumbed to injuries sustained on May 9th, 2011, after responding to the scene of a plane crash in Wawayanda, New York.
Trooper Martindale was one of the first responding units to a crash involving two small planes that had collided. During the response he fell on a piece of equipment and suffered internal injuries and internal bleeding. Despite the injuries, he continued his efforts to free the two pilots from the wreckage.
After clearing the scene several hours later it was determined that he had suffered severe injuries. He underwent several surgeries over the following two years but succumbed as a result of the injuries and complications on July 24th, 2013.
Trooper Martindale was a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. He had served with the New York State Police for seven years and was assigned to Troop F.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, parents, sister, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-08A16503- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Martindale gave the New York State Police 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of New York, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Winston I. Martindale, Jr. served in the Army (2003â2005) before joining law enforcement.
Trooper Winston I. Martindale, Jr. is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At New York State Police, 94 of 171 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 55% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Winston I. Martindale, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Winston I. Martindale, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Winston I. Martindale, Jr. is highlighted in Jul.
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