Pain 'Unbearable' for Woman Hit By Alleged Drugged Driver, Recovery Slow for East Hampton Couple

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The road to recovery is long for an East Hampton couple struck by an alleged drugged driver on Sunrise Highway in August.

According to Ronald King of East Hampton, his son Christopher King, 39, is still in a lot of pain but is able to get around with the use of a cane.

"He has nightmares about the accident," King said.

And Christopher's girlfriend, Crystal Hayes, 34, who was seriously injured, was transferred to St. Charles in Port Jefferson recently, King said.

"She is doing three to six hours of physical therapy each day and said the pain is unbearable," King said. "Her jaw is still wired shut, and really, her body is a broken mess."

She will likely need a few months in rehab, King said. "But Crystal said she will do whatever it takes to get better. Her and Chris wish to thank everyone for their concerns," King said.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe created to help the couple meet mounting medical expenses is still garnering donations; so far, the page has raised $4,925 of its $20,000 goal.

"Chris and Crystal Need Your Help," the GoFundMe page, was set up to assist the couple, who was struck by a car on the highway "while stopping to make sure there wasn't someone in need of help — and now they need your help. Both are in the hospital and very lucky to be alive," the page said. "They have lost their jobs because of this and have a very long road of recovery ahead of them."

The pair has medical bills and day to day expenses they will be unable to meet as they continue their recovery, the page reads.

"Please just say a little prayer for them," the page said.

After the crash, Ronald King of East Hampton told Patch his son had car trouble that day and had borrowed his Jeep before setting off with his girlfriend.

And then came the phone call that every parent dreads: The news that his son and his girlfriend had been hurt after a woman hit them on the Sunrise Highway; the woman had been driving while under the influence of drugs, police said.

"I was devastated. I was so shocked when I got the call that he was in the hospital," King said. "I'm just so grateful to God that he will be okay."

He added, "I am so thankful that my son and his girlfriend are alive, although not in the best of shape."

King said his son and Hayes, despite initial reports, had not stopped to see a brush fire but had actually thought the fire meant there could have been an accident, with someone potentially in distress or hurt.

The couple stopped their car to help and dialed 911, he said."All of a sudden he heard brakes squealing in that split second," he said.

His son, King said, had a pelvis broken in two places and a gash in the back of his head that was stapled closed, as well as a concussion.

Hayes, who was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries after the crash, suffered broken legs, a fractured jaw, fractured pelvis and ribs and head trauma, and was in "really bad shape. It's going to take quite a while for her to heal."

King said he wants to thank the community for the outpouring of well wishes.

And, he added, "Please keep praying for Crystal."

Police said that the woman who plowed into the couple on Sunrise Highway was driving high on drugs.

According to New York State Police, the crash took place at 11:38 a.m. on August 6

New York State Troopers from the Riverside barracks responded to Sunrise Highway eastbound between Exits 64 and 65 in Southampton after a collision between a vehicle traveling eastbound and two occupants standing outside a parked vehicle on the right shoulder.

Police said Hayes and King, both of East Hampton, had parked the 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the south shoulder of Sunrise Highway and exited the vehicle to observe a small brush fire on the north shoulder.

A 2007 Pontiac operated by Ulyana Yaremko, 20, of Hampton Bays was traveling eastbound in the left lane when the operator lost control and skidded sideways, striking both Hayes and King as well as the Jeep, police said.

Hayes was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital in serious but stable condition, police said.

King was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, police said.

Yaremko was treated and released from Southampton Hospital and was subsequently arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, police said.

Patch courtesy photo.