East Meadow woman faces Leandra's Law charge

An East Meadow woman faces felony drunken-driving charges under Leandra's Law after hitting another vehicle that was stopped Monday at a traffic light, Nassau County police said.

Kirsten Schneider, 46, of 719 Buchanan Rd., was driving a 1999 Ford south on Newbridge Road with her son, 10, as a front-seat passenger when she hit a 1995 Buick that had stopped at a traffic signal near Westbury Road at about 4:20 p.m., police said.

Third Precinct officers who responded determined Schneider was driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and she was arrested, police said.

The boy had an abrasion to his neck and Schneider had neck pain, police said. They were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for minor injuries. The boy was released to a family friend.

The Buick's driver, a woman, 70, had a sore hand but refused medical assistance at the scene.

Police also impounded Schneider's car.

Schneider was arrested on charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated and endangering the welfare of a child. She is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Under Leandra's Law, passed in November 2009, drivers who are intoxicated or impaired by drugs with a child younger than 16 in the vehicle can be charged with a felony. The law was passed after the death of Leandra Rosado, 11, who was killed in an DWI accident when she was a passenger in a crash on the West Side Highway in Manhattan.