NEW YORK.- A Long Island Latino family is in shock after a fatal wrong-way collision over the weekend. The victims have been identified as Ismenia Ureña and Odalis Ureña, residents of Syosset.
Nassau County Police said the suspect, identified as Sotirios Spanos, was driving a 2023 Acura MDX allegedly under the influence of alcohol on Northern Boulevard in Laurel Hollow when it crossed the yellow line early Sunday morning, violently colliding with a car. Ferrari convertible and taking the lives of both people inside, a man and a 37-year-old woman.
According to authorities, Spanos, 32, had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when he collided head-on with the Urenas.
Ismenia died at the scene, while Odalis was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The couple leaves behind two young daughters and, unfortunately, the Ureñas are not the only victims of this type of mishap. Ismenia had just published a book and her husband, Odalis, owned a construction company.
Relatives and friends of the victims held a vigil Tuesday night dressed in white and lit the crash site with candles. Meanwhile, the community created an educational fund to help the daughters of the victims.
In the past week, five other people, including a six-year-old girl in West Hempstead and a family of four in Massapequa, have been killed by drunk drivers in Nassau County.
Nassau Police Pledge to Stop Dangerous Drivers
“We’ve already seen a 32% increase in drunk driving arrests,” said Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick Ryder. “Citations are up 40%, and our highway deaths are down 18%.”
This comes at a time when a new study by a national transportation research organization called “TRIP” reveals that Long Island’s roads are now some of the deadliest in New York State.
Both Nassau and Suffolk counties have experienced an increase in traffic fatalities between 2019 and 2021.
“I have three young children and it crushes me to think that your life could change in an instant,” Russo said. “Something has to change.”
The suspected drunk driver faces a number of charges, including aggravated vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence and manslaughter. He is being held without bail and is due back in court this Wednesday, August 16.
Authorities are focused on preventing similar tragedies in the future through increased vigilance and enforcement on county roads.
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On Thursday, December 1, the tranquility of the town of New Hempstead, a town in the city of Ramapo, half an hour from Manhattan, was interrupted by the accident of a school bus full of children.
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Through a tweet, the Ramapo superintendent, Michael Spetch, indicated that he had mobilized to the scene of the accident, on Southgate Drive. “Our thoughts are with the children and their families as we pray for a speedy recovery,” he wrote.
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Local police reported that the accident happened around 9 am when, for unknown reasons, the school bus crashed into a utility pole, two parked cars, several trees, and finally into a house.
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The impact apparently crushed the bus’s engine compartment and tore off part of the house’s siding.
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The exact location of the accident: 37 N. Southgate Drive, a ranch-style house, located in a middle-class residential area, three blocks west of the New York Country Club golf course.
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Preliminary reports said that 22 children from a nearby yeshiva were on the bus. Seven of them were transported to Westchester Medical Center, five of them with minor injuries and bruises.
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Also injured, with more serious injuries, were two 5-year-old children, but it was learned that their injuries were not serious.
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The 37-year-old driver was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with an abrasion on his head. He was examined and was not in serious condition.
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Emergency services in Rockland County, including the Hillcrest Fire Department and various ambulance teams, were treating the injured.
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The Ramapo Police Department Crash Investigation Unit was investigating the scene until 1 p.m.
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2023-08-15 20:44:00
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