What to Know
- A 56-year-old woman was killed after the SUV she was in with her husband and son was hit by another SUV in Huntington Station, police said.
- Her husband and son were in stable condition Monday. A woman in a minivan that was hit was not injured.
- A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
A 34-year-old man was arrested on drunken driving charges after crashing into a family driving on Long Island, killing a mother on her way to visit a son in the military and badly injuring the woman's husband, police said.
Karen Holden, 56, was killed in the crash on Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station less than 10 minutes after she, her husband, adult son and dog left to visit another son serving in the armed forces in Virginia, according to a family friend.
Holden was traveling in a Ford Escape when their vehicle was hit by a Ford Explorer driven by Ryan Gurecki at a stoplight Sunday night. Gurecki was allegedly speeding at the time of the crash, prosecutors said.
Video from the scene shows the crippled Escape in the middle of the intersection and the Explorer crashed up against a tree. The crash site was less than a 10-minute drive from where the family lived.
Holden, her husband and son were all taken to Huntington Hospital after the crash; Holden later died. The family's dog ran off after the crash and is still missing, according to friends.
Holden's 57-year-old husband, who was driving, suffered a traumatic brain injury, according to prosecutors. Her 23-year-old son injured his back. They were both listed in stable condition.
A Honda Odyssey that was also stopped at the red light was sideswiped by the Explorer. The operator of that vehicle, 59-year-old Hyun Chung, was not injured, authorities said.
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Gurecki, of Lindenhurst, was charged with DWI. Prosecutors say he allegedly told police that he drank 5 beers at his job earlier in the night and failed a field sobriety test. Prosecutors say a search warrant was obtained for a blood test after he refused to consent.
Gurecki was previously arrested for alleged drunken driving in 2006, according to prosecutors. His attorney called the crash an "accident."
A judge ordered bail be set at $250,000 cash.
