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Accidents

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Senator Murray and Assemblyman Smith introduced “Nick’s Law” in 2023 (S6051/A6520) which will increase penalties for those convicted of leaving the scene of an accident involving a death. Photo courtesy Office of Dean Murray

By Samantha Rutt

A hit-and-run incident in Patchogue March 2023, which claimed the life of 25-year-old Nicholas Puzio, has spurred local leaders into action. Puzio, a resident of Farmingville, was tragically struck by two separate vehicles while crossing Route 112. Both drivers fled the scene, leaving him to die. 

Hit-and-run collisions are those in which at least one person involved in a crash flees the scene before offering any, or sufficient, information or aid to the other involved person or fails to properly report the crash. Hit-and-run violations – which are criminal offenses – can create additional burdens for law enforcement and for families looking for remediation as well as medical and insurance support.

Although Long Island roads are among the deadliest, few drivers involved in crashes that kill pedestrians or cyclists face criminal charges. That is, unless they are caught after fleeing the scene, or it can be proven they were drunk, under the influence of drugs or speeding.

Walk Safe Long Island, a collaborative of health and transportation safety educators from Nassau and Suffolk counties, says over the past three years in Nassau and Suffolk counties, 515 people have been hit and injured while walking, jogging or biking.

Pedestrian safety continues to be a serious concern. The Institute for Traffic Safety Management & Research states that from 2016 to 2020, pedestrians accounted for almost one quarter of the fatalities on New York’s roadways.

According to information from the National Center for Health Statistics, Long Island averages 18.2 roadway deaths per month. However, in the summer months this number trends upward as it nearly doubled, reaching 31 in August of last year.

In response, state Sen. Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) and Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) introduced “Nick’s Law” in 2023. The proposed legislation aims to increase penalties for those convicted of leaving the scene of an incident involving a death. The move comes in the wake of a lenient six-month sentence handed down to one of the drivers involved in Puzio’s death, highlighting the inadequacies of current laws.

“Two drivers made reckless choices and left my son dying in the street. Who does that? Does anyone have regard for human life? The laws in New York State are far too lenient,” Puzio’s mother, Terry Puzio, voiced her anguish and frustration in a statement.

Under current laws, individuals caught fleeing the scene of a fatal incident face a Class D felony and a fine of up to $5,000. “Nick’s Law” would elevate the crime to a Class B felony with a fine of $30,000. This increase in penalties is aimed at deterring drivers from fleeing the scene to avoid harsher consequences for other offenses such as driving under the influence.

The need for this legislation is represented by the alarming statistics. According to multiple sources, in 2023, Suffolk County alone witnessed 16 fatal hit-and-run incidents. This year, multiple similar incidents have already occurred, including the recent death of 22-year-old volunteer firefighter Christopher Hlavaty in East Patchogue.

Hlavaty’s mother, Janine Hlavaty, shared her desire for the bill’s passage in a statement, saying, “My hope for the passage of ‘Nick’s Law’ is that people will think twice before leaving the scene of these horrific, life-altering accidents.”

The push for “Nick’s Law” has garnered support from local lawmakers and officials who have emphasized the importance of holding hit-and-run drivers accountable. 

“When people can face lighter sentences if they are involved in an accident while drunk or on drugs by leaving an injured person in the road, there is a clear benefit to them to run and hide. That is unacceptable and it must be changed as soon as possible,” state Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James) said in a statement.

The community’s outcry and the introduction of “Nick’s Law” showcases a collective demand for justice and safety on the roads. For now, the community awaits legislative action, hoping that “Nick’s Law” will bring about the change to deter future hit-and-run tragedies and provide justice for those who have lost their lives on the roads of Long Island.

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File photo by Steve Silverman

The best part of the holiday season can be celebrating with family members and friends. Often alcohol can be part of these events, and if a person doesn’t drink responsibly, their actions can lead to dangers on the road.

If drinking is part of the festivities or ingesting any other substances that can impair the senses, a plan of action is needed before the partying begins. There is no excuse for driving under the influence.

For decades, we have been familiar with sage advice such as having a designated driver, planning to sleep over at the home where the party takes place or calling a taxi. Of course, sometimes the designated driver decides to join in on the fun or it turns out there is no room to sleep at the house. In many areas, especially in our towns, there aren’t many taxi services. Just a few years ago, scenarios such as the ones mentioned could spell danger if a person under the influence decided to get into the driver’s seat because they just wanted to go home.

Nowadays, there is no excuse for driving under the influence of any substance with phone apps to order car services such as Uber or Lyft providing another way to stay safe on the roads.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, better known as MADD, there are more than 300,000 drinking and driving incidents a day in this country. According to the grassroots organization, in 2019 this reckless form of driving led to 10,142 deaths that year, which breaks down to almost 28 people killed a day. There are also 300,000 injuries a year due to drinking and driving, according to MADD.

All of these deaths and injuries could have been avoided if the drivers who caused them had a plan before drinking. And, let’s not forget, everyone can play a part in keeping impaired drivers off the road. When hosting a party, make arrangements for your guests who will be indulging themselves. Keep in mind the Suffolk County Social Host Law, which is primarily intended to deter underage drinking parties or gatherings where adults knowingly allow minors to drink alcohol or alcoholic beverages.

The holiday season is a time for celebrating the accomplishments of the past year and the promises of a new year. Let’s keep the roads in our communities safe to enjoy during the next few weeks and all year long.

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Parents recall forever the acute accidents experienced by their children and with the same emotional turmoil every time the memory surfaces. It’s as if the horror is locked in the mind, frozen in time.

For example, my first born, when he was a toddler, hated to stay in his crib. A tall child, he was intensely curious about the world around him and would wander to explore whenever the opportunity presented itself. Hence his frustration at being limited by a crib. Because of his height, he threatened to vault over the crib’s edge at an early age, and so my husband and I bought an extender fence that attached to the top of the crib’s rail and presented an insurmountable barrier to his escape. Or so we thought.

One night, when my parents were visiting, we had just put our son to bed and retreated to the kitchen for some after-dinner coffee and conversation when we heard a loud splat, followed by a blood curdling scream. When the four of us rushed into his bedroom, we found our 1-year-old splayed out on the cement floor, stopping only to suck in air for the next horrible scream. I don’t have to tell you what thoughts went through our heads.

I can picture the scene perfectly, in all its detail, to this day.

Then there was the time our second son, thrilled that he had just discovered his sea legs, was running at top speed across a green lawn in Texas. We were in front of the Air Force base hospital where my husband worked, and we were to meet him for lunch. Because we were early, we waited on the grass. I was desperate for some shade since the temperature was in excess of 100 degrees, and I was heavily pregnant with our third son. Settling myself beneath the lone tree in the park, I closed my eyes briefly, then looked over to track my toddler just in time to see him running on a perfect trajectory toward a girl swinging high in the distant playground. Struggling to my feet, I began to run after him, frantically calling his name. Either because he couldn’t hear or chose not to, he kept pumping his chubby little legs, with mine clumsily running to catch him. I can still picture the scene in horrifying slow motion and remember that I knew I would be too late.

Just as I put my arms out to grab him, the back arc of the swing smacked him in the mouth, and instantly there was blood everywhere. The poor girl on the swing that had come to an abrupt stop looked over her shoulder in terror at the sight. I scooped up my screaming and bloodied child, and ran with him cradled across my arms to his father’s office in the hospital. Again I can perfectly remember all the minute details as we burst through his door, especially the look of horror on my husband’s face as he took in the sight.

And then, not to be left out and because they have always been equal-opportunity children, there was the time the bloodied face of my 3-year-old third son came into my line of sight as I drove up the driveway from an early morning tennis game. With the babysitter crouched over him on the blacktop beside the kitchen stoop, bleeding profusely from a cut on his forehead, was my screaming child. He had somehow fallen sideways off the top step onto his head.

This visit to the hospital involved stitches. Fortunately for him, they have long ago healed and the scar is all but invisible. Too bad the memories don’t likewise fade. Such is the price of being a parent or having responsibility for a child’s life, whether a niece or nephew or grandchild or a babysitting charge. Whatever the accident, one can never forget.

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