Drunk Driver Crashes Into Pole, 3 Ejected From Pickup Truck: Police

COPIAGUE, NY- A Babylon man was driving drunk when he crashed his pickup truck into a pole in Copiague early Tuesday, seriously injuring himself and his two passengers, police said.

According to police, 24-year-old Elmer Santos-Cardoza was driving a 1999 Dodge pickup truck eastbound on Sunrise Highway, east of Great Neck Road, at about 3 a.m. when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a telephone pole in front of 1187 Sunrise Highway

Upon impact, Santos-Cardoza and his two passengers, Melvin Mansonarez, 20, of Babylon, and Jose Santamaria, 20, of Babylon, were ejected from the vehicle, police said.

After being ejected from the truck, Santamaria was struck by a 2008 Toyota Camry driven by a 42-year-old Levittown man, police said.

Santamaria transported via Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries.

Santos-Cardoza and Mansonarez were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where they are being treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries, police said.

Santos-Cardoza was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated. He will be arraigned at a later date at First District Court in Central Islip.

The investigation is continuing and detectives are asking anyone with any information about this incident to contact the Vehicular Crime Unit at 631-852-6555.