DOT employee hit by alleged drunken driver while helping at crash site released from hospital
Randolph Acum, a highway worker with the state DOT, was discharged from Stony Brook University Hospital on Tuesday after being struck by a vehicle while assisting at a crash scene on the LIE in Holtsville last month. Credit: NYDOT
A state Department of Transportation employee who police said was struck and seriously injured by an alleged drunken driver while assisting at a crash scene on the Long Island Expressway last month got a heartfelt "walkout" Tuesday as he was discharged from Stony Brook University Hospital.
Randolph "Randy" Acum, 47, in shorts, T-shirt and holding a cane, was wheeled down a line of fellow NYSDOT employees in safety vests amid cheers — en route to his home in Mastic, where he'll continue his recovery, the DOT said.
Acum had been hospitalized 12 days.
Suffolk County police said highway patrol officers were dispatched to the eastbound lane of the LIE near Exit 63 for an overturned vehicle at about 9:40 p.m. on Feb. 26. Acum had parked his 2024 Chevrolet Silverado behind the crashed vehicle and was putting out traffic safety cones to help police mark the scene when he was struck by a 2018 Toyota Camry driven by Joseph Kalinowski at about 10:30 p.m.
Acum was transported to Stony Brook with serious injuries.
Police said Kalinowski, 54, of Centereach, also crashed into Acum's Chevy. He also was taken to Stony Brook, with minor injuries.
Kalinowski was later arrested — and charged with driving while intoxicated.
In the aftermath of the crash, spokesman Joseph Morrissey told Newsday in an email: "The entire NYSDOT family is praying for his recovery."
In that email, Morrissey also noted: "This incident underscores the importance of always being alert on the highway for first responders and safety personnel."
Neither hospital officials nor the DOT detailed the extent of Acum's injuries.
As Long Island DOT Regional Director Richard Causin said in an emailed statement to Newsday on Wednesday: “We’re thankful that Randy has returned home from the hospital and we continue to extend our best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. What occurred the night he was injured serves as a reminder that everyone must drive responsibly and safely to prevent something like this from occurring again.”
Court records show Kalinowski entered a not guilty plea to at his arraignment on Feb. 27.
He was released with "non-monetary conditions."
Those records show Kalinowski was scheduled to appear in court again Wednesday, but the case was adjourned.
He is now due back in court on March 30.
In an emailed statement to Newsday on Wednesday, the Central Islip-based attorney representing Kalinowski, Harmon Samuel Lutzer, said: "I cannot comment on the merits of this case at this time as it is still very early in the proceedings, but I am happy to hear that Mr. Acum has been discharged from the hospital and wish him a speedy recovery."
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
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