Central Islip Man High On Meth, Alcohol Sentenced After Wrong-Way Sunrise Highway Crash: DA

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A Central Islip man has been sentenced to state prison after driving the wrong way on Sunrise Highway while impaired by alcohol and methamphetamine, causing a head-on crash that seriously injured two people, Suffolk County prosecutors said.

Jimmy Graham, 41, was sentenced on Wednesday to 3 to 9 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular assault and related charges, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Graham was driving under the combined influence of alcohol and methamphetamine when he caused the crash, which left both victims with severe injuries requiring emergency surgery, according to prosecutors.

According to court records and Graham’s admissions during his guilty plea, the crash occurred at approximately 9:36 p.m. on July 14, 2024, on the Sunrise Highway South Service Road near Malts Avenue in West Islip, prosecutors said.

Graham was operating a 2014 Audi sedan at a high rate of speed in the wrong direction, authorities said. At the time, his license had already been revoked, prosecutors said.

Graham’s vehicle collided head-on with a Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling eastbound in the left lane with 2 occupants inside, according to the DA’s office.

Both victims suffered serious physical injuries, including multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury, prosecutors said. Each victim required emergency surgery as a result of the crash.

Members of the West Islip Fire Department arrived at the scene and rescued the victims from their vehicle, prosecutors said.

A good Samaritan helped pull Graham from his Audi while he was unconscious, shortly before the vehicle became engulfed in flames, according to the DA’s office.

Graham was transported to Good Samaritan University Hospital, where a blood sample was taken for analysis. Prosecutors said a court-authorized search warrant later revealed Graham had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14 percent — nearly twice the legal limit — and methamphetamine in his system.

Investigators also recovered video surveillance from a nearby business, which captured Graham driving into oncoming traffic at a high rate of speed immediately before the crash, prosecutors said.

According to the DA, Graham pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas to one count of aggravated vehicular assault, a Class C felony, two counts of second-degree assault, Class D felonies, one count of driving while intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor, one count of driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of drugs and alcohol, an unclassified misdemeanor, one count of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree, an unclassified misdemeanor and one count of reckless driving, an unclassified misdemeanor.

On Dec. 17, Graham was formally sentenced to 3 to 9 years in state prison, prosecutors said.

Graham was represented by Christopher Cassar, who could not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“When someone drives recklessly while under the combined influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, they are not only breaking the law; they are endangering the lives of everyone else on the road,” Tierney said. “This sentencing sends a clear message: in Suffolk County, we will not tolerate actions that turn vehicles into dangerous weapons.”