Cops: Driver Charged With D.W.I. in Tuesday Crash
Updated, July 28, 2:15 p.m.: The driver of a sport utility vehicle that hit a utility pole on Springs-Fireplace Road in East Hampton Tuesday, leaving a passenger injured, has been charged with drunken driving.
East Hampton Town police said Angel Tejeda-Lavarreda of Wainscott, 27, was driving a 2010 Honda Pilot south near Queens Lane when it struck the pole and its air bags deployed, just before 5 p.m. It was the only vehicle involved in the crash. A passenger, Carolina Leon of Springs, 23, who was apparently lying down in the back seat at the time without a seat belt, was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, the nearest level-one trauma center. She was listed in stable condition as of Tuesday night, police said.
Mr. Tejeda-Lavarreda, whose blood-alcohol roadside test was recorded at .08, complained of minor injuries and was taken to Southampton Hospital, where, before being released, he had blood drawn to determine the exact degree of intoxication. In addition to the D.W.I. charge, he faces a misdemeanor charge of unlicensed driving as well as a count of unlawful possession of marijuana. The Honda was impounded.
At his arraignment Wednesday in East Hampton Town Justice Court, his right arm was in a cast. His parents were in the courtroom, his mother crying unstoppably. Bail was set at $1,500. The court asked the parents if they would be able to post it. It might take a day or two, they said; their son is in the county jail in Riverside in the meantime.
An investigation into the crash is continuing. Anyone who may have witnessed it has been asked to contact detectives at 631-537-7575.
Updated, July 26, 10:45 p.m.: The driver of a sport utility vehicle that hit a utility pole on Springs-Fireplace Road in East Hampton Tuesday, leaving a passenger injured, has been charged with drunken driving.
East Hampton Town police said Angel Tejeda-Lavarreda, 27, of Wainscott was driving a 2010 Honda Pilot south near Queens Lane when it struck the pole just before 5 p.m. It was the only vehicle involved in the crash. A passenger, Carolina Leon, a 23-year-old living in Springs, was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital. She was listed in stable condition, police said.
Mr. Tejeda-Lavarreda experienced minor injuries, according to police, and was taken to Southampton Hospital, where he was treated and released. He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of marijuana. (It was unclear late Tuesday night if the D.W.I. charge was a misdemeanor or a felony.) He is being held overnight and will be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on Wednesday.
The Honda Pilot was impounded, and the investigation is continuing. Anyone who witnessed the accident has been asked to contact detectives at 631-537-7575.
Originally, July 26, 5:37 p.m.: One person was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, the closest level-one trauma center, on Tuesday evening after an accident on Springs-Fireplace Road at the intersection of Queens Lane in East Hampton.
A passenger, a woman, may have suffered a head injury. She reportedly had not been wearing a seat belt.
The car reportedly hit a utility pole, and its air bags deployed. It was unclear if another vehicle was involved in the crash.
The accident occurred just before 5 p.m. The East Hampton Village Ambulance Association transported at least one other person to Southampton Hospital. The ambulance transported the female passenger to an awaiting Suffolk medevac helicopter at the East Hampton Airport.
East Hampton Town police are investigating what caused the accident.
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Correction: Based on information provided by police at the time, the original online version of this story had the incorrect name for the driver. According to the East Hampton Town Justice Court, he is Angel Tejeda-Lavarreda, not Angel Tejada, as originally reported.