Results tagged “drunkdriving”

Though Governor Paterson signed the nation's toughest DWI bill into law this week, making it a felony to drive drunk with a passenger under age 15, it won't apply to one man who allegedly broke it yesterday. Suffolk County police arrested Ivan Llaghza for DWI and endangering the welfare of a child, because his 5-year-old daughter was also in the car—and not in a car seat, as required by law. The Daily News notes the new law "doesn't take effect until next month," adding that Llaghza's daughter "survived two brushes with death" before—her birth weight was 1.5 pounds and "when she was just 3 months old, she was almost killed by loss of oxygen during an apnea attack."

Cops and district attorneys have agreed on a new protocol allowing police to more quickly obtain warrants to draw blood from drivers who refuse to take breathalyzer tests. The new process should let police draw blood from suspected drunk drivers at least two hours faster than the current average of seven hours, the New York Times reports.

It comes as no surprise that the off-duty NYPD detective who fatally struck an elderly pedestrian early Friday morning in the Bronx has an alcohol problem. Detective Kevin (Spike) Spellman had a blood alcohol level of 0.21 percent—more than twice the legal limit—almost six hours after the accident. Now it's being reported that this isn't the first time booze has caused problems for Spellman and others.

A Brooklyn man was charged with criminally negligent homicide and DWI after an early Sunday morning car crash that left his girlfriend dead. Jose Sandoval had been on the Brooklyn-bound side of the Staten Island Expressway when he crashed into the guardrail near the Richmond Avenue exit, and Lucia Negrete was thrown from the car.

A few days after a cop was indicted for vehicular manslaughter and DWI for the death of Vionique Valnord, her family appeared with the Reverend Al Sharpton yesterday. NY1 reports that Sharpton told his supporters to monitor Police Officer Andrew Kelly's trial, "It is important this this officer faces justice, so that people understand that the law is the law no matter who breaks the law. You don't get a break. There's no excuse for a policeman to be driving drunk."

So sad: The daughter of the woman who allegedly drove drunk, crashing a car full of young girls on the West Side Highway and killing one, told WCBS 2 about the horrifying crash. The 1998 Mercury Sable, which was overloaded with driver Carmen Huertas and seven girls, overturned and then crashed into a tree; Huertas' 11-year-old daughter Brittany Gonzalez said, "All three girls in the back just flew out when the trunk popped open because it just popped open when we flipped once. My friend's seatbelt snapped. Leandra Rosado just flew out and she was the one in the woods."

More upsetting details about the horrible crash on the West Side Highway that left an 11-year-old girl dead and six other girls injured, not to mention the mother who was allegedly driving drunk at the time. Melody Sanchez, whose daughter 11-year-old daughter Kayla (pictured) is in critical condition after being thrown from the overloaded Mercury Sable, said that Carmen Huertas essentially taunted the girls about her terrible driving.

Early Sunday morning, a Bronx woman driving a 1998 Mercury Sable—carrying seven children, including her daughter, ages 11 to 14—crashed and overturned her car on the West Side Highway. An 11-year-old girl was killed and the Daily News reports, "Investigators said Carmen Huertas' blood-alcohol content was more than one and a half times the legal limit." Huertas, 31, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving. The girl's father said, "I call this murder."

Amid allegations that his fellow cops helped "cover-up" his intoxication after fatally running over Vionique Valnord Saturday night, the lawyer for officer Andrew Kelly fiercely defended his client, who scored a perfect zero on his blood alcohol test, administered eight hours after the accident. Attorney Arthur Aidala told the Daily News, "To be crystal-clear, Andrew wasn't drunk. Andrew wasn't surprised by his blood-alcohol level. He knows what he did that day. He tried to save that woman. He got her breathing, and at one point, she opened her eyes. He's just sad that she's not breathing today."

Today Mayor Bloomberg lashed out at the cop accused of DWI and vehicular manslaughter in the Saturday night crash that left a reverend's daughter dead. Today it was revealed that the driver, off-duty officer Andrew Kelly, scored a perfect zero on a blood alcohol test after successfully postponing it for eight hours. The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating whether other cops at the scene helped him, and this morning Bloomberg told reporters, "Yesterday, I talked to the Reverend Varius Valnord, the father of Vionique, who was hit and killed by a car Sunday morning. It’s a tragedy that deserves the closest of scrutiny, and if true the allegations of a DWI hit and a cover-up are reprehensible."

A 15-year-old died from massive head injuries sustained when he was struck by an allegedly intoxicated woman in Hampton Bays on Wednesday night. According to Newsday, Joseph Marino (pictured) "was standing with his bicycle at Ponquogue Avenue and Argonne Road East at about 8:40 p.m..., talking to two friends, when Caroline Goss, 34, drove her 2001 Jeep Cherokee into him." Marino had been in a coma, Suffolk County police say that Goss, who had a previous DWI in 2003, was intoxicated and had a 6-year-old son in the car—she was charged with DWI, endangering the welfare of a child and "having an open container of alcohol in the car." A friend said that Goss is a single mom of two who works the midnight shift at a Port Jefferson Hospital and as a waitress on the weekends. Just yesterday, Governor Paterson suggested tougher penalties for drivers who drive drunk with kids in the car and for drunk drivers who kill children under 17.

As a 15-year veteran of the NYPD, Sergeant Joseph Spiekerman knew exactly what to do after drunkenly running a red light and plowing into 68-year-old Barry Gintel one morning last month: Refuse to take the breath test! Though he admitted he'd been drinking, cops on the scene had to get a court order to draw his blood, so we'll never know just how wasted Officer Spiekerman was when he ran over Gintel at 6:40 a.m. on June 29th at York Avenue and 86th Street. Gintel was on his way back to his apartment after buying a coffee and two buttered rolls at The Mansion diner; the cashier tells the Daily News, "I give him his change, look out the window, and I see he got hit and goes flying 10, maybe 20 feet in the air." The impact shattered the windshield of Spiekerman's Volvo and Gintel underwent emergency surgery for two fractured legs, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, and head and neck injuries. He's still in the hospital and wearing a neck brace! Spiekerman has been suspended without pay and is charged with felony vehicular assault and DWI, and the News seems rather surprised that "police officials declined to explain why they failed to release details of the crash and Spiekerman's arrest sooner."

New Jersey's Shuan Campbell is the Pete Rose of drunk driving—the hits just keep coming! In April he chalked up his 15th drunken crash, when he smashed his SUV head-on into a pickup carrying a man and his 4-year-old daughter. Fortunately, the father and daughter were not seriously injured in the accident, after which Campbell tried to flee the police by running (staggering?) into a park. Yesterday the 40-year-old East Rutherford resident admitted his blood-alcohol level was .288 percent, or more than triple the state's .08 percent level. Prosecutors are seeking a maximum prison term of more than two years for Campbell, whose license has been suspended 78 times . According to WCBS, he'll also lose his driver's license for at least another 10 years, but we have a feeling neither prison nor a lack of license nor tougher drunk driving laws will hold Campbell back from swerving straight to the top of the charts. (He still faces drunken-driving charges in Pequannock and Wayne, New Jersey, too!)

NJ Senate President Richard Codey, who has also been acting governor three (!) times, has introduced new legislation that would toughen penalties against motorists repeatedly caught drunk driving as well as those who lend vehicles to people with a suspended or revoked license. The Star Ledger reports, "The bills were prompted, in part, by recent reports of an East Rutherford man who injured another man and his young daughter in a DUI related accident and was later found to have 12 previous DUI convictions and 78 license suspensions." (The repeat DUI driver tried to flee the police by running into a park.) One bill would "impose mandatory jail time of six months to one year for anyone caught driving under the influence while currently suspended for a previous DUI or previous refusal to take a breath test; or for anyone caught driving two times or more while suspended for a DUI or refusal to take a breath test, even if they are not intoxicated." Codey said, "In my opinion, one time caught drunk driving is too many... If you don't learn from those mistakes and continue to endanger the lives of others, we need to send a clear message that we are going to have zero tolerance."

Early yesterday morning, the driver of a minivan was killed when a drunk driver crashed into him near in lower Manhattan. The Daily News has details on the terrible crash: Around 4:41 a.m., Long Island resident Brandon Connelly's "2005 Audi hit a Chevy Tahoe on the southbound lanes of the FDR Drive on the lower East Side. As the SUV smashed into a concrete barrier, the Audi bounced off - only to crash into a minivan near the Brooklyn Bridge exit." The minivan's 50-something driver died at Bellevue and four of his passengers had minor injuries. Connelly was charged with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and DWI.

Nassau Police Commissioner Lawrence told reporters his officers "will be out in full force" this holiday weekend, monitoring for intoxicated drivers on the road. According to Newsday, "the summer stretch between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays" is referred to as the year's "hundred deadliest days" by police. Last Memorial Day weekend, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi posted the names, photos and addresses of anyone arrested for DWI on a "Wall of Shame" after a police officer was critically injured by a drunk driver. The wall has been somewhat modified, with only convicted drivers' information and photos posted. Suozzi said drunk driving-related deaths had decreased recently—17 in 2007, 13 in 2008—and called 2009's two fatalities a "completely unacceptable number."

Early Saturday morning, Suffolk County police arrested a woman who, while traveling north on East Manor Drive (in Manorville), drove into the southbound lane and crashed into an oncoming pickup truck. Newsday reports that Ebony Herrera was "apparently driving drunk and high" on marijuana at the time—and her three-year-old daughter Johnnaisa Harvey was in the backseat. Herrera and the pickup's driver were treated and released for their injuries, but little Johnnaisa remains in critical condition with brain swelling after surgery. Herrera was arraigned yesterday and said, sobbing, "I'm really sorry what happened to my baby," and is being held on $250,000 bail. She was charged with child endangerment and DWI; she pleaded not guilty, though she reportedly told investigators she drank and smoked pot about an hour before the crash. Her daughter, who still hasn't regained consciousness, was transferred to Stony Brook Hospital.

The devastated parents of a Queens high school student who was killed by a drunk driver are suing the parents of his friend for serving booze at a party the night he died; they're also suing the motorist who left his Kia Spectra idling outside a convenience store, where an inebriated ex-con stole it. 16-year-old Robert Ogle (pictured) was walking home with his 20-year-old friend Alex Paul at 1:30 a.m. on February 1st when they were both struck and killed by Kenneth Guyear, who prosecutors say took off in the car after owner David Jaber left it unattended. The wrongful-death lawsuit contends that Sing-Chau Fung and Yuk Lai Fung are to blame for permitting underage drinking at their house that night during a birthday party for their son; Jaber and Guyear are also named in the suit. The teen's father, Brendan Ogle, tells the Daily News, "Each person in their own way contributed to this train wreck. If everyone had exercised better judgment, my son would be alive today."

A lawyer for Vito Fossella explained the former Congressman's decision to plead guilty to a May 2008 DUI, "He wanted to accept responsibility for what had occurred and he wanted to end this. He wants this behind him. He realizes it was wrong to be drinking and driving that night. He's going to get on with his life."

A Suffolk County police officer was killed in a crash in Commack this morning around 4 a.m. Newsday reports, "A vehicle driven by a man in his 20s apparently tried to make a left turn while going south on Commack Road and broadsided the officer's car"—which was going north on Commack Road at Motor Parkway—"The police car spun around, struck a traffic pole, and immediately burst into flames." And apparently the fire was so immediate that "no rescue attempts were possible." The driver, who lives in Nassau County and is in his 20s, stayed on the scene and was arrested for DWI; the police officer, described as a "dedicated, hardworking," was on his way to assist a fellow officer. Last May, a Nassau County police officer was critically injured when, after pulling over a drunk driver, his patrol cruiser was rear-ended by another drunk driver. The incident prompted Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi to create the "Wall of Shame."

Suffolk County police tell Newsday that a 25-year-old driver, who was lost as she was trying to find the Long Island Expressway, was fatally struck by an apparently drunk driver. Melissa Scherr had been on the cellphone with her boyfriend, trying to make her way to the highway from Melville, when her Nissan 200SX was hit from behind and thrown into a utility pole. Douglas Davis, driving a pick-up truck, was arrested for DWI and fleeing the scene. He was found after a volunteer firefighter responding to the crash noticed a man inspecting damage to the front of his vehicle in a parking lot—and the firefighter "smelled burning rubber and antifreeze coming from the truck," plus noticed both of the truck's air bags were out.

According to Newsday, a 21-year-old college student "was killed when a drunken driver's SUV slammed head-on into his car, Nassau police said." Jason Shein, on Thanksgiving break from the University of Miami and a volunteer EMT, had been driving home in Farmingdale with three friends when the crash occurred shortly after midnight on Sunday. Of Shein's passengers, one was seriously injured and two others were treated and released from the hospital. The SUV's driver, Persi Esquivel, who was also treated for injuries, had apparently "crossed the double yellow line to pass another vehicle" and ending up hitting Shein's car. Esquivel was charged with manslaughter and 11 other charges; plus he had been "on probation from a previous drunken driving conviction."

The controversial gallery of people arrested for drunk driving in Nassau County is back online after some changes. Previously, the names, photos and addresses of arrestees were listed, but, after a judge ruled that the privacy of one alleged drunk driver was violated, now only the names and photos are posted. Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi told Newsday, "My objective has always been to get people to talk more about drunk driving, and to recognize that it's not a socially acceptable crime," but attorney Brian Griffin said, "Under current law in the state of New York, shaming is not a permissible punishment, either pre-conviction or post conviction." Suozzi, who created the "Wall of Shame" after a cop was seriously injured by a DWI driver after pulling over another DWI suspect in May, insists, "This is not about punishment. This is about educating people about drunk driving. This is all public information."

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi announced he was taking down photographs and information of DWI arrestees from the county website--known as the Wall of Shame-- but that the photos and names of people convicted would be posted. A judge ruled that the privacy of one woman, who sued over her mugshot and name being included, was violated by the allegedly drunk rogues gallery. State Supreme Court Justice William LaMarca felt that posting the claimant's info online could expose her to "limitless and eternal notoriety." Suozzi, created the Wall of Shame after a cop was seriously injured by a DWI driver after pulling over another DWI suspect, promised to appeal and feels the Wall was effective in making people reconsider driving while drunk. But one man who appeared on the Wall told Newsday, "I felt so bad because the people that I know - my family and friends - they know that I don't drink much. It's just a mistake. And everybody found out."

A 20-year-old woman, spending the day with her family at a water park, "mistakenly drove" a Chevy Avalanche forward, striking three relatives. Yerardin Gil's action killed her aunt, Rosa Ortiz and also injured other relatives Dolcina Ortiz and Tomas Esquerdo. The incident occurred at Splish Splash in Calverton, Long Island; the three had been sitting on a grass median, having a picnic, when Gil drove over the curb and into them. According to Newsday, police are calling it a drunken-driving accident and Gil, who lives in the Bronx, was charged with both DWI and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

If one ever needed an additional reason to buckle up, there's the news of two men who were killed while traveling in a car piloted by a drunken driver. 28-year-old Stephen Bush was speeding down Rockaway Blvd. early Saturday morning when he lost control of his Cadillac sedan and drove through the front of a carpet store in Rosedale. Bush was uninjured, but two of his passengers--Garfield Nelson and Wayne Burnette--were both killed. A third person was mildly injured.

A recent high school graduate was killed in a car accident early yesterday morning when a pickup truck drove into the Honda Civic she was riding in at East 65th Street and Park Avenue. Julie Tsang, 17, had graduated three days earlier from Millennium High School and was planning on attending Hunter College this fall. Police charged the truck's driver, 22-year-old Robert Gomez (who was not hurt), with criminally negligent homicide, DWI, and driving with a suspended license. Sources told the Post Gomez "refused a breath test but reeked of alcohol." The Honda's driver Kevin Chang is in critical but stable condition.

Today, a 6-year-old boy will finally see his father, a Nassau County cop who was critically injured when a drunk driver rammed into his cruiser a month ago. Newsday reports little Christopher Baribault, who has been "plead[ing] to see his dad," will go to the hospital today.

Gianna Vigliotti was swept up in Nassau County's DWI crackdown and campaign to publicly announce DWI arrests (with arrestees' names, hometowns and mugshots) in order to deter drunk driving, but it turns out the 17-year-old resident told the police her Memorial Day weekend DWI was all a mistake.

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi made good on his promise to publicize people arrested for driving while intoxicated over the Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday, he released the names of 109 arrested--81 were for DWI while 28 were arrested for driving while impaired, which is a lesser charge. The mugshots of the 81 DWI arrestees were also released.