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Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A Middle Island woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to manslaughter charges after a fatal crash that killed a 75-year-old grandmother and injured a mother driving with her toddler last November, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Melissa Koprowski, 32, of Yaphank, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, along with several other related charges, after causing the deadly collision on November 22, 2024, prosecutors 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, the crash occurred at approximately 8:39 p.m. on Middle Country Road in Middle Island. Koprowski was operating a 2014 Dodge Durango eastbound on Middle Country Road 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, prosecutors said. The Nissan’s driver had her two-year-old child and 75-year-old mother seated in the backseat. 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.
Suffolk County police and other emergency responders immediately rendered aid to those involved in the collision, according to prosecutors. All three occupants of the Nissan Rogue were transported via ambulance to Long Island Community Hospital, where the driver was treated for her injuries. The 75-year-old passenger was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival at the hospital, while 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 her under arrest. Subsequent toxicology testing revealed a blood alcohol concentration of .12 percent — above the legal limit of .08 percent — and a high level of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, according to prosecutors.
Location & Road Context
The fatal collision occurred at the intersection of Middle Country Road and Wading River Hollow Road in Middle Island, a busy thoroughfare that runs east-west across Suffolk County. The crash happened during evening hours when traffic typically remains steady on this stretch of Middle Country Road.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
On Wednesday, Koprowski pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz to multiple charges 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; driving while ability impaired by drugs; driving while ability impaired by the combination of alcohol and a drug; and reckless driving, prosecutors said.
Koprowski faces 4 to 12 years in prison and is due back in court on November 17. She is being represented by an attorney who 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.”
District Attorney Tierney said: “No family deserves to go through the pain and anguish of violently losing a family member, let alone in front of their eyes. We hope that today’s conviction brings some measure of justice to the family of the victim.”