Driver in wrong-way fatal crash on Sunken Meadow parkway charged with DWI, cops say
Vehicle involved in a wrong-way crash on Nov. 20 on the Sunken Meadow parkway. One person was killed and the driver, who was also injured, has been charged with drunken driving. Credit: Stringer News Service
The driver of a pickup truck that caused a fatal wrong way crash Nov. 20 in Commack has been charged with driving while intoxicated, State police said Monday.
Police said Joseph Norris, 38, of Babylon, was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado pick-up southbound in the northbound lanes of the Sunken Meadow Parkway when he collided with a 2007 Mazda CX7 SUV at about 7:30 p.m., killing driver Anthony Mariano, 44, of Kings Park.
Mariano died at the scene, while Norris was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore with serious injuries.
Police said the crash occured north of Exit SM3.
There were no other reported injuries.
Police have asked anyone with information regarding the fatal wrong way crash to call investigators at 631-756-3000.
It was not immediately clear if Norris is represented by counsel or when he faces arraignment on the DWI charge.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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