A Department of Transportation employee was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle on the Long Island Expressway in Holtsville, and the driver has been charged with driving while intoxicated, Suffolk County Police said.
Highway Patrol units responded to a report of an overturned vehicle on the eastbound Long Island Expressway near Exit 62 at approximately 9:41 p.m. As emergency personnel worked at the scene, DOT employee Randolph Acum arrived in a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and parked behind the overturned vehicle to assist with traffic control.
Police said Acum, 47, of Mastic, was placing traffic cones in the roadway behind the crash site when he was struck by an eastbound 2018 Toyota Camry at 10:33 p.m. The Camry then crashed into the parked DOT vehicle.
Acum sustained serious injuries and was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment, authorities said.
The driver of the Camry, identified as Joseph Kalinowski, 54, of Centereach, was also taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with minor injuries. He was treated and released into police custody. Kalinowski was charged with Driving While Intoxicated.
Police said he was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 27 at First District Court in Central Islip.
Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks as detectives from the Sixth Squad continue to investigate. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the squad at 631-854-8652.