LI woman in deadly crash was drunk, speeding, Nassau DA says

A Freeport woman was drunk and speeding when she rear-ended a car on the Meadowbrook Parkway last month, launching a Hempstead woman’s vehicle into a tree, killing her and injuring her 8-year-old son, Nassau prosecutors said.

Nicole Pollock, 26, was arraigned Wednesday in Nassau County Court in Mineola as she pleaded not guilty to 13 grand jury indictment charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, first- and second-degree vehicular manslaughter and second- and third-degree assault.

Judge William O’Brien continued bail, originally set last month, at $200,000 bond or $100,000 cash. If convicted of the top charge, Pollock faces a maximum of 8-1/3 to 25 years in prison.

“These grand jury charges allege that an eight-year-old boy’s mother was killed in front of him because of this defendant’s decision to recklessly drive drunk,” said Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Dennis Lemke, Pollock’s defense attorney, said his client was “devastated” by the crash. “Her heart goes out to the [victim’s] family,” he said.

State Police said the wreck happened just after midnight on Feb. 2 on the northbound side of the parkway near Exit M7.

Pollock was driving a 2012 Nissan Rogue around 100 mph when she struck the rear of a 2006 Kia driven by Lissette Quintanilla, prosecutors said.

Quintanilla, 39, a certified nursing assistant who worked at NYU Winthrop Hospital, lost control of her vehicle, crossed lanes of traffic into a wooded area of the parkway and crashed into a tree, authorities said.

Quintanilla’s son, Brandon Guzman, suffered a fractured arm and broken left elbow, authorities said.

Pollock tried to walk away from the scene, fought with a police sergeant and slipped out of handcuffs before she was finally detained, prosecutors said.

She had a strong smell of alcohol on her breath, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and poor coordination, a felony complaint said. Blood drawn at a hospital after the crash showed Pollack had a blood alcohol content of 0.18%, Lemke said. The legal limit in New York is a BAC of 0.08%.

Pollock also faces charges of second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, driving while ability impaired by drugs or alcohol, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, aggravated driving while intoxicated and two counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

She is due back in court March 30.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.