A Long Island woman, Melissa Koprowski, 31, from Yaphank, was arrested on Friday following a drunk driving accident that resulted in the death of a grandmother. Fortunately, the grandmother’s 22-month-old granddaughter escaped unharmed.
The incident occurred when Koprowski crashed her 2014 Dodge Durango into a Nissan SUV while attempting to make a left turn onto Wading River Hollow Road in Middle Island around 8:40 p.m., as reported by the Suffolk County Police Department.
During the collision, Esther Gui, a 75-year-old passenger in the Nissan, sustained severe injuries. Despite being rushed to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue by EMS workers, she did not survive.
Crystal Marks, 33, of Coram, who was driving the Nissan and Gui’s daughter, was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the authorities.
Remarkably, Gui’s 22-month-old granddaughter, who was seated behind Marks, emerged from the accident unscathed.
Koprowski was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. She was set to appear in court in Central Islip on Sunday, as per the police statement.
Local residents expressed concerns about the intersection’s history of accidents. Kacper Kusnierz from Middle Island told Long Island News 12, “Every month, there’s an accident there — at least. For somebody to die… that’s tragic.”
