Privacy update — September 18, 2026: Identifying details have been removed under our victim privacy policy.
What Happened
A 26-year-old Long Island man was arrested Monday morning after driving the wrong way down Townline Road in Suffolk County and plowing his car onto a sidewalk, killing one construction worker and seriously injuring two others, according to Gothamist.
Suffolk County police identified the driver as a 26-year-old Long Island man who was behind the wheel of a 1999 Toyota Camry at approximately 6:40 a.m. on Monday, August 10, 2026. He was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane of Townline Road near its intersection with Terry Road — already going the wrong direction — when he allegedly ran a red light and drove his vehicle off the roadway and onto the sidewalk, according to police.
On that sidewalk, three construction workers had gathered to prepare for a paving project. The Camry struck all three men. The car also collided with an electronic crossing sign, a utility pole, and a fence, police said. The violence of the impact sent all three workers to Stony Brook University Hospital.
One of those workers, a 38-year-old man from Mastic, did not survive. He was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Hospital. The other two workers — a 30-year-old from Bay Shore and a 33-year-old from Brentwood — were admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, according to Gothamist.
Police charged the driver with driving while ability impaired by drugs. He was taken into custody and held at the Suffolk County Police Department’s Sixth Precinct. Attorney information for the driver was not immediately available, according to Gothamist’s reporting.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place on Townline Road near its intersection with Terry Road in Suffolk County. The area is a residential and mixed-use corridor that, at the time of the crash, was slated for paving work — meaning a road crew was already on-site in the pre-dawn hours of a Monday morning when the driver’s car entered the wrong lane and struck the workers. The three injured men were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, the region’s Level I trauma center.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The driver was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs — a criminal charge under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law — following the crash, according to Gothamist. He was held at the Suffolk County Police Department’s Sixth Precinct and was scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in First District Court in Central Islip. No attorney information was immediately available as of Monday afternoon.
The investigation remains active. Suffolk County police have not publicly released details about what specific substance or substances are alleged to have impaired the driver, nor the results of any chemical testing conducted following his arrest.
What This DWI Charge Means
The driver faces a charge of Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs (DWAI-Drugs) under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192(4). New York’s impaired-driving statute covers several tiers: DWAI (ability impaired by alcohol or drugs, a traffic infraction for a first alcohol offense), DWI (blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher, a misdemeanor), and Aggravated DWI (BAC of 0.18% or higher, also a misdemeanor for a first offense but with steeper penalties). DWAI by drugs is a misdemeanor on the first offense — a more serious starting point than an alcohol-only DWAI. Because this crash resulted in a fatality and serious injuries, prosecutors may pursue additional charges as the investigation progresses; vehicular manslaughter statutes can apply when an impaired driver causes a death.
A first-offense DWAI-Drugs conviction in New York carries fines ranging from $500 to $1,000, a mandatory minimum six-month license revocation, up to one year in jail, and a mandatory driver assessment fee. Repeat offenses escalate to felony-level charges with multi-year revocations and state prison exposure. New York also requires a mandatory ignition interlock device for any DWI or higher conviction. Separately, any driver who refuses a chemical test after arrest faces automatic license revocation of at least one year and a $500 civil penalty — consequences that apply regardless of the outcome of the criminal case.
The presence of a fatality and multiple serious injuries significantly raises the legal stakes. Under New York Penal Law, a driver who causes the death of another person while impaired can be charged with vehicular manslaughter in the second degree (a Class D felony) or, under aggravating circumstances, vehicular manslaughter in the first degree (a Class C felony). Long Island Traffic will continue to monitor this case as it proceeds through the courts.
Case Status & Updates
As of Monday, August 10, 2026, the driver has been charged but not convicted. An arrest and a criminal charge are accusations — the driver is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in a court of law. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in First District Court in Central Islip, where he will enter a formal plea. The case will then proceed through Suffolk County’s criminal court system.
Long Island Traffic tracks DWI cases across Long Island through the court process and updates each report with arraignment outcomes, pleas, trial dates, and sentencing as they become part of the public record. Check back on this page for updates as this case moves forward.
Updates
- Aug 11, 2026: Additional reporting merged into this article: “‘High likelihood’ of homicide charges against driver in crash that killed construction worker” (source)