Man Sentenced For Drunken Crash That Killed Huntington Station Woman

A Lindenhurst man was sentenced on Friday to six to 18 years in prison for driving drunk and causing a fatal crash that killed a Huntington Station woman in June 2016, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

According to authorities, Ryan Gurecki, 35, pleaded guilty in March to top counts of aggravated vehicular manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, DWI and third-degree assault.

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On June 26, 2016, Gurecki was driving a 2010 Ford Explorer westbound on Jericho Turnpike when he struck a 2016 Ford Escape that was stopped at a red light waiting to make a left turn onto Route 110 around 9:20 p.m. in Huntington Station. A 2014 Honda Odyssey, driven by a 59-year-old Melville man, also traveling westbound on Jericho Turnpike waiting to make a left turn onto Route 110, was sideswiped by Gurecki’s Explorer.

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Three family members in the Ford Escape were transported to Huntington Hospital.

The mother, identified as Karen Holden, 56, of Huntington Station, died from her injuries at the hospital. Her husband, and driver of the Escape, William Holden, 57, suffered a head injury and her son, Robert Holden, 23, suffered a back injury.

Crime lab tests showed Gurecki's blood alcohol level was .13 at the time of the crash, the DA said. The legal limit is .08 for DWI. Gurecki told police at the scene of the crash that he had drank five beers earlier, the DA said.

Image 1 via SCDA, Image 2 via Steve Silverman