Suffolk Woman Pleads Guilty After Crash That Left Grandmother Dead, Mom Injured, With Toddler In Car: DA

MIDDLE ISLAND, NY — A Middle Island woman pleaded guilty Wednesday after a crash that killed a grandmother and injured a mom with a toddler in the car, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Melissa Koprowski, 32, of Yaphank, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and second degree vehicular manslaughter, as well as several other related charges, after causing a fatal crash in November on Middle Country Road, 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., she was operating 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, Tierney said.

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 westbound 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, Tierney said. Guy was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival to the hospital; the two-year-old child was uninjured, Tierney said.

Koprowski was also transported to Long Island Community Hospital for treatment of non life threatening injuries, the DA said.

While at the hospital, officers observed that she displayed signs of intoxication and placed Koprowski under arrest; subsequent toxicology testing revealed a blood alcohol concentration of .12 percent — the legal limit is .08 percent — and a high level of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, the DA said.

On Wednesday, 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, Tierney said.

Koprowski faces 4 to 12 years in prison; she is due back in court on November 17 is being represented by John Halverson. "It's obviously tragic for everyone involved," Halverson told Patch. 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."

"No family deserves to go through the pain and anguish of violently losing a family member, let alone in front of their eyes,” said Tierney. "We hope that today’s conviction brings some measure of justice to the family of Esther Guy."