Joseph Kalinowski, of Centereach, charged with DWI in LIE crash that seriously injured DOT worker Randolph Acum
Suffolk County police arrested a Centereach man, charging him with driving while intoxicated, following a crash on the Long Island Expressway that seriously injured a Department of Transportation worker Thursday night. Credit: Paul Mazza
A Centereach man was charged with driving while intoxicated after he crashed into and seriously injured a state Department of Transportation employee attending to a vehicle incident in Holtsville on Thursday night, Suffolk County police said.
Around 9:40 p.m., highway patrol units were dispatched to the eastbound lane of the Long Island Expressway near Exit 63 for a report of an overturned vehicle.
DOT personnel — including Randolph Acum, 47, who parked his 2024 Chevrolet Silverado behind the overturned vehicle — also attended to the incident, police said.
As Acum, of Mastic, was placing traffic cones in the roadway around 10:30 p.m., a 2018 Toyota Camry driven by Joseph Kalinowski struck him and then crashed into his Chevrolet, police said.
Acum was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, Suffolk police said. The department could not provide any update regarding his condition Friday.
"This incident underscores the importance of always being alert on the highway for first responders and safety personnel," DOT spokesperson Joseph Morrissey told Newsday in an email Friday afternoon. "The entire NYSDOT family is praying for his recovery."
Morrissey said Acum was "receiving the best possible care."
Kalinowski, 54, was also taken to Stony Brook for treatment of minor injuries and released into police custody. Police charged him with driving while intoxicated.
After being held overnight at the Sixth Precinct, Kalinowski pleaded not guilty to the charge during his arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on Friday, according to court records. Harmon Lutzer, his defense attorney, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.
Police closed all eastbound lanes from Exits 62 to 64 at 10:36 p.m. Lanes were reopened at 4:46 a.m.
The vehicles were impounded. Detectives ask anyone with information on this crash to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.
Nassau cold case mystery solved ... Enslaved people and LI's waterways ... Flower and Garden show ... March Madness for St. John's, Hofstra
Nassau cold case mystery solved ... Enslaved people and LI's waterways ... Flower and Garden show ... March Madness for St. John's, Hofstra
