LI Woman Sentenced After Crash Left Grandmother Dead, Another Person Injured: DA

MIDDLE ISLAND, NY — A Yaphank woman was sentenced to 4 to 12 years after a crash that left a grandmother dead and another person injured, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Friday.

Melissa Koprowski, 32, was sentenced after pleading guilty in October to second-degree manslaughter; second-degree vehicular manslaughter, and several other related charges, after causing a fatal crash in November, 2024 on Middle Country Road, the DA said. The crash killed a 75-year-old passenger in another car and injured the driver, Tierney said.

Koprowski was intoxicated and impaired by marijuana at the time of the crash, the DA said.

According to court documents and Koprowski's admissions during her guilty plea allocution, on November 22, 2024, at about 8:39 p.m., Koprowski was driving a 2014 Dodge Durango eastbound on Middle Country Road in Middle Island when she entered the intersection at Wading River Hollow Road and attempted to make a left-hand turn in front of oncoming traffic, without having the right of way.

At that time, a blue 2022 Nissan Rogue was traveling westbound on Middle Country Road, proceeding through the intersection with a green light, the DA said. The driver’s two-year-old child and 75- year-old mother, Esther Guy, were seated in the backseat of the Nissan Rogue, Tierney said.

Koprowski’s SUV crashed head-on into the Nissan Rogue within the west bound lane of the intersection, sending the Rogue off the road and into the wooded shoulder, the DA said.

Immediately following the crash, Suffolk County police and other emergency responders rendered aid to those involved in the collision, the DA said. All three occupants of the Nissan Rogue were transported via ambulance to Long Island Community Hospital, where the driver of the Nissan Rogue was treated for her injuries, the DA said. Esther Guy was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival at the hospital, Tierney said. The two-year-old child was uninjured, he added.

Koprowski was also transported to Long Island Community Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, the DA said. While at the hospital, officers observed that she displayed indicia of intoxication and her under arrest, Tierney said. Subsequent toxicology testing revealed a blood alcohol concentration of .12 percent and a high level of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, the DA said..

According to Tierney, on October 1, Koprowski pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz, to charges contained in the indictment including second-degree manslaughter, a Class C felony; second-degree vehicular manslaughter, a Class D felony; second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony; third-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor; two counts of driving while intoxicated, unclassified misdemeanors; driving while ability impaired by drugs, a Class A misdemeanor; driving while ability impaired by the combination of alcohol and a drug, an unclassified misdemeanor; and reckless driving, an unclassified misdemeanor, the DA said.

On Friday, Koprowski was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison, Tierney said. She was represented by John Halverson, who previously told Patch: "It's obviously tragic for everyone involved." His client, he said, "has young children at home. A grandmother passed away — it's awful. Melissa has taken responsibility for this horrific situation and my heart goes out to everyone involved."

"Esther Guy was simply out for a drive with her granddaughter when the defendant made the reckless choice to drive while intoxicated, which claimed Esther’s life,” said Tierney. "We hope that today's sentence sends the message that driving drunk or high has life and death consequences."