Man Convicted In Nassau DWI Crash That Left Woman Paralyzed

WANTAGH, NY — A New York City man was convicted Friday of assault and other charges in a 2020 drunken driving crash that left a woman paralyzed.

Jurors convicted Lumumba Woods, 50, of Manhattan, of second-degree assault, second-degree vehicular assault and two counts of driving while intoxicated. He faces up to seven years in prison when he's sentenced Jan. 17.

Woods was previously convicted of second-degree murder in Suffolk County in 1992 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released in 2014.

“Lumumba Woods was drunk when he sped past one car, crashed into the center median, shot across three lanes of travel, and flipped his SUV multiple times,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “The victim suffered catastrophic injuries and is still unable to talk or walk, two years after the crash, due to this defendant’s reckless actions. Mr. Woods, who was one-and-a-half times the legal limit for alcohol, endangered every person on the road that evening. We wish the victim the very best as she continues to heal from this terrible crash.”

Woods was driving a 2003 Acura MDX around 9 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2020, on Sunrise Highway when he sped past a car, hit the center median, rolling the car multiple times. The car came to a rest on the shoulder near the Wantagh State Parkway.

A woman in the passenger seat was thrown about 20 feet from the car and suffered multiple trauma injuries. Woods submitted to a breath test after the crash, and had a blood alcohol level of .12.

The passenger, who was 58 at the time of the crash, was taken to Nassau University Medical Center with multiple broken bones. She was paralyzed from the chest down and left unable to speak.

A witness testified at trial to seeing Woods’ vehicle flip over more than 10 times.