2 pedestrians killed in separate crashes in Coram, Hempstead, police say

Two pedestrians, one in Suffolk and another in Nassau, were killed Monday evening in crashes, police said.

In Suffolk, Evan Espinosa, 31, of Medford was walking on Middle Country Road near Martin Street in Coram when he was struck by an eastbound 2011 Cadillac SRX4 at 10:07 p.m., Suffolk police said.

Espinosa was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The driver of the Cadillac, Christian Dilone, 38, of Port Jefferson Station was not injured and has not been charged, according to police. The vehicle was impounded for a safety check.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

Earlier in Nassau, an unidentified male pedestrian was struck by a 2006 Nissan Altima traveling south on Peninsula Boulevard near President Street at 7:27 p.m., police said.

The victim suffered severe injuries and was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Nassau police said.

The 33-year-old male operator of the Altima remained at the scene and has not been charged, police said.

An investigation is ongoing, Nassau police said.

Traffic fatalities on Long Island last year surged to the highest levels since 2015, as dangerous driving increased after the COVID-19 pandemic and police traffic enforcement dropped, according to a Newsday analysis of crash and ticketing data and traffic experts.

Crashes claimed 243 lives in Suffolk and Nassau counties in 2022, 29% more than in 2019, the year before the pandemic, according to data kept by the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany.

Seventy-two of those killed were pedestrians.