Susannah Smith of Sea Cliff pleads not guilty in alleged DWI crash that led to biker's death, DA says
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly appears at the Nassau County Couthouse in Mineola in July. Credit: Johnny Milano
A Nassau grand jury has indicted an alleged drunken driver who prosecutors said was also texting on her phone when she crashed her car and created hazardous road conditions in Brookville that resulted in the death of a motorcyclist, prosecutors said.
Susannah Smith, 22, of Sea Cliff, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Friday on charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated and other charges, prosecutors said.
Acting Nassau Supreme Court Judge Robert Schwartz continued Smith’s $50,000 bond.
“This defendant was allegedly intoxicated and texting with a friend after picking up pizza when she veered off the road and crashed into a utility pole, scattering power lines onto the roadway and cutting the lights,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement. “Milton Diaz did not see the hazards that this defendant allegedly created as he drove by and tragically struck one of the downed lines, causing him to fall off his motorcycle to his death.”
Smith’s Mineola-based defense attorney, Karen Johnston, declined to comment when reached Monday.
According to prosecutors, on June 15, at approximately 11:58 p.m., Smith was driving a 2014 Ford Focus northbound on Cedar Swamp Road when she drove off the roadway onto the grassy shoulder and crashed into a utility pole. As a result, the pole was downed, electricity went out and wires fell into the roadway, prosecutors said. Smith’s car flipped on its side as a result of the impact and she needed help from the Brookville Police Department to exit her vehicle, prosecutors said.
Diaz, 34, drove through a “pitch-black” crash scene a few minutes later and struck the downed power lines, prosecutors said. He fell off his 2006 Honda motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:14 a.m., prosecutors said.
Smith was taken to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash, prosecutors said. She was arrested the next day, prosecutors said.
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
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