Police: Central Islip man killed after drunk driver hits disabled car on Sunrise Highway
Suffolk County police investigate a fatal crash on the eastbound Sunrise Highway just before Exit 50 in Sayville early Wednesday morning. Credit: Christopher Sabella
A Centereach man was charged with driving while intoxicated after Suffolk County police said his Jeep slammed into a disabled Toyota on the Sunrise Highway in Sayville early Wednesday, killing one man and critically injuring his female passenger.
Wednesday afternoon, police identified the man killed as Miguel Berdecia, 46, of Central Islip, and the critically injured woman as Lisa Hynds, 42, of Riverhead. Police said investigators have determined Berdecia was not fatally injured in the initial crash involving his car, but was killed in the subsequent collision.
Police said the 2011 Toyota Yaris had broken down in the eastbound center lane near Exit 50 around 12:25 a.m. after striking the highway's center median and then the right lane's guard rail. The car stopped, police said, in the center lane of the roadway "sideways, facing north."
Police said Hynds got out of the Toyota and was critically injured when a 2011 Jeep Liberty, driven by Daniel Lazzaro, 37, of Centereach, struck the driver's side door -- killing Berdecia and slamming the Yaris into Hynds.
Berdecia was pronounced dead at the scene. Hynds was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, police said.
Lazzaro was taken to Long Island Community Hospital in East Patchogue to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
It was not immediately clear if Lazzaro will face additional charges. Police said he will be arraigned at a later date.
Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding the crash or those involved in it to contact the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6553.