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A state Department of Transportation worker was seriously injured Thursday night when an allegedly drunk driver struck him as he placed traffic cones on the Long Island Expressway, Suffolk County Police said.
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 a 2018 Toyota Camry driven by 54-year-old Joseph Kalinowski plowed into him about 10:33 p.m., police said.
The Camry also struck Acum’s parked DOT vehicle, a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado.
Acum was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries.
Kalinowski, who is from Centereach, also went to Stony Brook University Hospital, for treatment of minor injuries before being released into police custody. He is charged with driving while intoxicated.
In Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip on Friday, Kalinowski pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge and was released from custody under non-monetary conditions.
He appeared in court in hospital scrubs.
Victim was helping motorist
Highway Patrol units had originally been dispatched to the area nearly an hour earlier, at 9:41 p.m., in response to a report of an overturned vehicle in the same stretch of roadway. Acum had arrived on scene as part of the DOT response and was actively working to secure the area when he was hit.
Kalinowski was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday at First District Court in Central Islip. Both vehicles were impounded.
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