Greater Long Island coverage is funded in part by Toresco & Simonelli, a boutique injury and family law firm in West Islip. They fight for their clients. Click here to get in touch.
A Centereach man accused of plowing through a clearly marked Long Island Expressway road closure and striking a state worker while driving drunk now faces a slate of felony charges that could put him behind bars for years, Suffolk prosecutors said.
Joseph Kalinowski, 54, was indicted on an aggravated vehicular assault charge, along with eight other counts of related felony and misdemeanor charges, eight weeks after what authorities describe as a reckless, alcohol-fueled crash that critically injured a New York State Department of Transportation supervisor working a late-night debris cleanup detail.
Randolph Acum, 47, of Mastic, was setting up cones near a previous crash scene on the eastbound side of the expressway near Exit 63 in Holtsville when Kalinowski’s 2018 Toyota Camry plowed into him, authorities said.
If convicted of the top charge, Kalinowski faces five to 15 years in prison.
Authorities said the incident unfolded about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 26, when Kalinowski was allegedly driving eastbound on the Long Island Expressway after drinking and ignored a road closure marked by emergency vehicles and traffic control devices.
A poor choice
Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said he drove directly into the work zone, striking the DOT employee, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and broken arm.
“The defendant allegedly chose to drink, chose to get behind the wheel, and then drove through a
clearly marked road closure,” Tierney said.
The victim was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and a fractured arm, officials said.
Kalinowski pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment Wednesday before Suffolk County Court Judge Bryan Browns. He was released under supervised conditions and is due back in court June 3.
The charges
Listed below is the list of charges Kalinowski faces:
- Aggravated vehicular assault (Class C felony)
- Second-degree assault (violent felony, Class D felony)
- First-degree vehicular assault (Class D felony)
- Second-degree vehicular assault (Class E felony)
- Aggravated driving while intoxicated (unclassified misdemeanor)
- Driving while intoxicated (two counts, unclassified misdemeanor)
- Second-degree reckless endangerment (Class A misdemeanor)
- Reckless driving (unclassified misdemeanor)
Top: GLI file photo
Prior coverage
Your Long Island news, delivered.
Subscribe to the GLI Newsletter — its free
