Drunk Driver Plows into Babylon Church Crowd
Three people were injured recently when an allegedly drunk driver crashed into a parked car and then veered into a crowd of people who were leaving mass in Babylon. The September 30 incident left a seventy-six-year-old woman in the hospital with serious injuries.
Evening Ends Badly
Parishioners of St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, on North Carll Avenue in Babylon, were just dispersing after mass around 6:25 p.m. when a pickup driven by a twenty-seven-year-old Babylon man entered the scene. That vehicle first struck a parked SUV in front of the church, injuring a forty-year-old man and a three-year-old child inside it.
The pickup then continued onto the sidewalk, striking the woman and dispersing the crowd. Before it came to a stop, the pickup also knocked down the parish’s statue of St. Joseph and drove onto the property of the adjacent church-affiliated nursery school.
Arrest Made
Suffolk County Police charged the driver of the pickup with driving while intoxicated and arrested him at the scene of the crash. He was scheduled to be formally charged the next day. If eventually convicted on the DWI charge, the driver could face a minimum $500 fine and six-month license suspension.
The driver’s blood alcohol content level has not been made public, but if it’s far enough above the legal limit, that could lead to harsher penalties; because there were both property damage and injuries in this crash, it’s also possible that additional or more serious charges (such as vehicular assault) will be made.
The occupants of the car that was struck were said to have minor injuries, but the pedestrian was hurt more seriously. As of the last report a few days after the crash, she was listed in stable condition at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Islip.
Drunk Drivers an Ongoing Threat
Last year, there were more than 8,000 alcohol-related crashes reported in New York state. Nearly 500 of them involved vehicles striking pedestrians, and those crashes caused serious injury to more than 400 people and left eighty dead.
The churchgoers in Babylon have unfortunately joined the statistics for 2017: Preliminary reports already show 280 injured and thirty-one killed this year, and those numbers lag by several months.
Long Island Car Accident Lawyer
When a drunk driver has caused you or a loved one harm, it’s important to hold the driver accountable. You also want to make sure that anyone who was injured can make a full recovery, and that often means pursuing financial compensation from whoever caused the crash.
At Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP, our experienced attorneys understand what’s required to successfully pursue a car accident claim. Whether your accident was caused by a drunk driver or something else was involved, our team knows how to approach each case. Give us a call today at 1-800-VICTIM2 (842-8462) or complete the form below to learn more and schedule a free consultation.
