During the early morning hours of March 13 in Smithtown, a 36-year-old woman from Kings Park was allegedly driving drunk while heading north on Route 25A. Shortly after 12 a.m., the Long Island woman apparently crossed over the center divider and into the southbound lanes. She hit a Toyota Camry head-on that was being driven by a 59-year-old Island Park man.
Emergency medical personnel transported the seriously injured man to Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown. He was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. He worked at the same hospital as a radiology unit supervisor and was on his way home from work at the time of the accident.
The woman who hit him suffered only minor injuries and was treated at the hospital, then released. To date, she has only been charged with DWI, but authorities anticipate the filing of other charges. According to the prosecutor, the woman admitted that she had been drinking when she spoke to officers at the scene. The result of her field sobriety test and pre-screening by officers showed that she was highly intoxicated. The prosecutor also stated that they are awaiting the results of the official blood test.
Route 25A was closed to all area traffic during the investigation. The two vehicles involved in the accident were impounded for safety checks.
In fatal accident cases, the family of the deceased could decide to retain a personal injury attorney to file a wrongful death lawsuit. The attorney could build a viable case by subpoenaing the police reports and any witness statements. He or she could also file a claim with the responsible party’s insurance company for compensation to the family for their loss and help them deal with the financial repercussions.
Source: WABC, “Long Island man driving home from work killed in wrong-way crash with alleged drunk driver,” N.J. Burkett, March 13, 2015