What Happened
A Lake Ronkonkoma man was arrested early Monday morning after driving the wrong way on Townline Road in Nesconset, blowing through a red light, and plowing his car onto the sidewalk — killing one construction worker and seriously injuring two others. According to a press release from the Suffolk County Police Department, the crash occurred at approximately 6:40 a.m. on Monday, August 10, 2026, at the intersection of Townline Road and Terry Road.
Thomas Lobianco, the driver, was operating a 1999 Toyota Camry eastbound in the westbound lane of Townline Road when he drove through a red light at the Terry Road intersection and continued onto the sidewalk, directly into the construction workers. The workers were described as preparing for a job at the location at the time of the impact.
The Suffolk County Police Department confirmed that one construction worker was killed in the collision and two others were seriously injured. The wrong-way travel, the red-light violation, and the presence of workers on the sidewalk at that early morning hour combined to create catastrophic consequences. The identities of the victims had not been released in the initial press release.
Lobianco was subsequently arrested by Suffolk County Police and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs. The DWAI-Drugs charge indicates investigators determined that a controlled substance — rather than alcohol alone — was responsible for impairing his ability to drive at the time of the crash. Three distinct violations contributed to the outcome: driving in the wrong lane, failing to stop at a red light, and driving while impaired.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Townline Road and Terry Road in Nesconset, a hamlet in the Town of Smithtown in Suffolk County. Townline Road, as its name suggests, runs along a municipal boundary and carries a mix of residential and light commercial traffic in this part of central Suffolk. Early morning construction activity on or near the sidewalk at this intersection placed workers in a vulnerable position with limited protection from passing vehicles.
Suffolk County’s roadway system has logged 744 recorded accidents in Long Island Traffic’s local incident database, and August 10, 2026 alone produced multiple serious and fatal crashes across the county, underscoring how dangerous that single morning was for Suffolk roads.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Thomas Lobianco was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs (DWAI-Drugs) following the collision, per the Suffolk County Police Department. In New York State, a DWAI-Drugs charge under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192(4) is a misdemeanor on a first offense, carrying potential penalties including fines, license revocation, and up to one year in jail — though the presence of a fatality and serious injuries typically prompts prosecutors to pursue additional or elevated charges as the investigation develops. Details on arraignment, bail, and any upgraded charges had not been published in the initial press release.
The investigation remained active as of the time of the department’s announcement. Anyone with information relevant to the crash is encouraged to contact Suffolk County Police.
Broader Impact
This crash follows a pattern of serious crashes involving construction workers in vulnerable roadside positions during early morning hours, when reduced traffic sometimes encourages dangerous driving behavior. New York State law requires drivers to slow down and proceed with caution in active work zones; striking a worker in a designated zone can elevate charges significantly beyond a standard DWAI, and the fatal outcome here will likely factor heavily into how prosecutors ultimately charge Lobianco as the investigation concludes. A related critical incident logged the same morning in Nesconset and a second critical crash on August 9 reflect an unusually violent stretch on Suffolk County roads.