Drunken driver fatally injures man operating mower, police say
Police investigate the scene of an accident in which authorities said an alleged drunken driver fatally injured a man operating a lawn mower on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, in Fort Salonga. Credit: Stringer News Service
A man operating a lawn mower who was struck by an alleged drunken driver Friday afternoon in Fort Salonga has died, authorities said Saturday afternoon.
Police said Nicholas Pineda-Maldonado, 58, was operating a stand-behind lawn mower on Sunken Meadow Road about 4:30 p.m. when he was hit by a 2008 Saturn driven by Eugene Coyne, 69, of Kings Park, that was traveling south on Sunken Meadow Road near Trescott Path.
Pineda-Maldonado was taken to Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown for treatment of serious injuries, police said. In a news release issued Saturday afternoon, police said Pineda-Maldonado was pronounced dead at the hospital Saturday morning.
Coyne was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. At his arraignment Saturday at First District Court in Central Islip, bail was set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. Coyne is due back in court Oct. 17.
Police said the vehicle was impounded for a safety check.
Mastic Beach double shooting ... Upgrades to busy Nassau intersection ... Dangerous Roads: Ticket enforcement ... Weather: Warm up coming
Mastic Beach double shooting ... Upgrades to busy Nassau intersection ... Dangerous Roads: Ticket enforcement ... Weather: Warm up coming
