Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app. Or follow Greater Moriches on Instagram.
A young mother facing a yearlong recovery from life-altering injuries suffered in a Hamptons Memorial Day weekend boat crash — allegedly caused by her intoxicated fiancé — is receiving an outpouring of support from the community.
Brooke Skrocki, 28, of Mastic Beach was aboard the sport fishing boat that slammed into the Shinnecock Canal jetty in Hampton Bays late on May 25, with her and her fiancé’s two young daughters on board, among other adult passengers.
While the girls — 6-year-old Emma and 2-year-old Ava — emerged from the wreck uninjured, their mother’s injuries were severe and will require a lengthy rehabilitation, according to a GoFundMe launched by her aunt, Melissa Barravecchio.
“She’s looking at a year of intensive rehabilitation and will require considerable support,” Barravecchio wrote. “We’ve started a fundraiser to help cover Brooke’s recovery costs and provide financial assistance to her family as they care for her daughters.”
As of Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $27,100 from 350-plus donations. A GiveInKind effort has also been established on Skrocki’s behalf.
Skrocki’s fiancé, Edward Hillkewicz, 28, was behind the wheel of the vessel when it struck the jetty and came to rest on the beach at Meschutt Beach County Park about 9:15 p.m., Southampton Town police said. He was arrested at the scene and charged with boating while intoxicated.
The Mastic Beach man additionally was charged with second-degree vehicular assault and reckless operation of a vessel, and received several state navigation law summonses.
The couple had planned to marry Sept. 20 on Fire Island, according to their Zola wedding page. The wedding was expected to take place in Ocean Beach.
Video of the accident scene
The dramatic accident scene and rescue effort was captured in a video posted to the LLN NYC YouTube channel, which appears to show Hillkewicz being detained and questioned by police as country music blares from the grounded vessel. Skrocki meanwhile is taken on a stretcher to an arriving helicopter, while the boat’s other passengers are seated on the sand.
Authorities said the crash investigation and rescue effort involved multiple emergency agencies, including Southampton Town police, marine patrol, the Hampton Bays Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and New York State Police. Eyewitnesses told first responders the 33-foot Grady-White center console boat hit the jetty so hard it spun 180 degrees before running aground.
Hillkewicz and several other passengers were treated at the scene before being taken to area hospitals, Southampton Police said.
Viral TikTok prankster arrested in Centereach
She lights up the room
Friends on social media shared their thoughts and prayers for Skrocki.
“She’s my sister’s longtime bestie and she feels like a bonus sister to me,” wrote Riley Werner on Facebook. “Anyone that knows her knows she lights up any room she’s in. I’m praying for you so hard.”
Eric Vasquez noted the Skrocki “has always had a smile on her face.”
“I don’t think there was a day that I ever saw anything but,” he continued. “Such a shame the battle that she faces for her future.”
Top photos: Brooke Skrocki, 28, with her two daughters (GoFundMe). Skrocki’s fiancé Edward Hillkewicz is pictured standing on a boat in the inset photo, dated in 2022 (Facebook).
