Judge allows family of woman who fell at Farmingville Fire Department parking lot to start legal action against Suffolk County

A Suffolk judge approved a request on Monday from the estate of a Medford woman who was allegedly hit by a vehicle in the Farmingville Fire Department parking lot to file a notice of claim notifying that county that it plans to file a lawsuit naming it as a defendant – even though the 90-day court deadline had long passed.

Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice George Nolan already gave the estate of Theresa Vazquez permission to file a separate notice of claim on July 20 notifying the Farmingville Fire Department and several high-ranking officials that they will also be named as defendants.

Charles S. Gucciardo, the Mineola-based attorney representing Vazquez’s estate, said in court papers and in an interview with Newsday that he could not file the notices of claim before the 90-day window expired because Farmingville fire officials did not provide security video of the incident until two months after the deadline.

“We are glad the judge ruled in our favor," Gucciardo said on Wednesday. “One more piece of the puzzle, and the puzzle is starting to come together."

Gucciardo represents Erica Christensen, Vazquez’s daughter and the administrator of her estate.

Video of the incident submitted to the court showed Vazquez, 75, parking her car in the rear lot of the Farmingville Fire Department on April 9, 2025. She was walking toward the firehouse to play bingo that morning when a blue SUV backed out of a spot reserved for chiefs and commissioners and headed into the path of the mother of three. Seconds later, Vazquez was lying on the ground with a broken arm, shoulder pain and a head injury.

Gucciardo said the video shows the SUV hit and knock down Vazquez, but a Farmingville fire incident report said Vazquez, who died about six months after the incident from an unrelated illness, fell while trying to avoid the blue SUV. Vazquez, a part-time supermarket employee, spent several months in a rehabilitation center after the incident to recover from her injuries.

Gucciardo said he will name Suffolk County and its Department of Public Works as a defendant because the alleged driver, listed in court papers as Farmingville Fire Commissioner Edward Stewart III, is an employee of the agency and may have been driving a county vehicle when he allegedly struck Vazquez.

Michael Martino, a spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine, declined to speak about the case, saying he could not comment on pending litigation.

The video, which Gucciardo shared with Newsday, is choppy and appears to freeze at various points, including a four-minute gap Gucciardo said was an attempt to hide Stewart’s identity as the driver. Stewart allegedly stopped briefly after hitting Vazquez, Gucciardo said, but did not identify himself or exchange insurance information with her. It is against New York State law to leave the scene of an accident when someone is injured.

Stewart did not return requests for comment.

Stewart and the fire department, Gucciardo said, engaged in a cover-up to shield themselves from accountability for Vazquez’s injuries. He said he will seek $35 million in a civil rights lawsuit.

Vazquez was still hospitalized when she contacted Suffolk police the day after the incident, according to a police report, to document it for insurance purposes. The police report said Vazquez told the officer that she tripped and fell while dodging the SUV. Gucciardo said the report inaccurately repeated the fire department’s version of events.

Gucciardo also said police gave him a runaround after he brought the video to their attention, refusing to initiate an investigation. He said the Suffolk police Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the response.

Suffolk police did not immediately return a request for comment.