Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 64-year-old Shirley woman was airlifted to a regional trauma center Saturday morning after being struck by a car while walking along the shoulder of a residential roadway in Shirley, according to Long Island Life & Politics, which first reported the incident.
Theresa Nicke, 64, of Shirley, was walking on the right shoulder of Dawn Drive when she was struck by an eastbound 2013 Buick Regal at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2026. The collision occurred near the intersection of Pinelawn Avenue, a residential corridor in the Shirley hamlet of Suffolk County on Long Island’s South Shore. As Long Island Life & Politics reports, Nicke was using the road shoulder — a common pedestrian practice on local streets without dedicated sidewalks — at the time of the strike.
Nicke sustained serious injuries as a result of the crash. Due to the severity of her condition, she was airlifted from the scene to Stony Brook University Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center on Long Island equipped to handle critical injuries. The airlift response indicates that emergency personnel on scene determined ground transport to be inadequate for the urgency of her medical needs.
The driver of the eastbound Buick Regal, identified as Dale Cronin, 23, also of Shirley, was uninjured in the collision, according to Long Island Life & Politics. Cronin remained on the scene. No immediate charges against Cronin were reported at the time of publication. The 2013 Buick Regal he was operating was impounded by authorities for a safety check — a standard procedure in pedestrian-involved crashes that allows investigators to examine vehicle mechanical condition, braking systems, and other factors that may have contributed to the collision.
Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives have taken charge of the investigation. The Seventh Squad covers the Town of Brookhaven, the township within which the Shirley hamlet sits. Authorities have not released additional details about the cause of the crash, the speed of the vehicle at the time of impact, or whether any environmental or visibility conditions played a role in the incident. The investigation is described as active and ongoing.
Detectives are actively seeking the public’s help. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information relevant to the investigation is urged to contact the Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752. Tips from witnesses in cases like this often play a critical role in determining factors such as vehicle speed, lane position, and driver behavior in the moments leading up to the impact.
Location & Road Context
Dawn Drive near Pinelawn Avenue is a local residential roadway in Shirley, a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island’s South Shore. Like many suburban streets in this part of Suffolk County, Dawn Drive is a lower-volume community road that nonetheless sees consistent vehicle traffic, including commuters during early morning hours when this crash occurred. The absence of dedicated pedestrian infrastructure — such as sidewalks — along portions of roads like Dawn Drive forces pedestrians to use the shoulder, as Nicke was doing at the time she was struck. Shoulder walking, while legal, places pedestrians in close proximity to moving vehicles and is a recognized contributing factor in pedestrian injury crashes on Long Island’s suburban roads.
Shirley sits along the South Shore between Mastic and Mastic Beach to the east and Moriches to the west, with significant residential density and limited commercial traffic. Early morning pedestrian activity in this area is common among residents heading toward transit access points or simply exercising. For more on traffic conditions and accident history across Long Island, longislandtraffic.com tracks ongoing incidents across all of Suffolk and Nassau counties.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives are leading the investigation into the crash on Dawn Drive, as reported by Long Island Life & Politics. The 2013 Buick Regal driven by Dale Cronin, 23, was impounded following the collision for a comprehensive safety inspection, which is standard protocol in pedestrian-involved crashes regardless of whether the driver is suspected of wrongdoing. The safety check allows investigators to assess whether any mechanical failures — such as brake fade, tire condition, or steering issues — may have contributed to the impact.
No charges against Cronin had been reported at the time this article was published. The investigation remains open, and detectives have asked members of the public with any information about the circumstances of the crash to call the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752. The outcome of the investigation, including any potential charges, will depend in part on findings from the vehicle inspection, witness accounts, and the ongoing review of all available evidence.
Broader Impact
Pedestrian crashes involving shoulder walkers on roads without dedicated sidewalks are a recurring safety concern across Long Island’s residential communities. This incident on Dawn Drive underscores the vulnerability of pedestrians on suburban streets where infrastructure gaps leave walkers with no option other than the vehicle travel shoulder — particularly in early morning hours when visibility and driver alertness may both be reduced. Recent accidents in the region reflect a broader pattern of pedestrian-involved crashes on local roads throughout Suffolk County, including a separate serious pedestrian injury crash also recorded on June 20, 2026, pointing to the continued urgency of pedestrian safety improvements on Long Island’s local road network.