19-Year-Old Sentenced to Prison for Causing Fatal Crash While Drunk, High

A New Hyde Park man was sentenced to four years in prison Friday for causing a fatal crash while under the influence of alcohol and drugs in August 2014, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.

Deepak Kumar, 19, pleaded guilty in January to all 14 indictment charges related to the fatal crash that killed a 55-year-old man and injured his 38-year-old wife and 6-year-old daughter.

On Aug. 19, 2014, Kumar was speeding in his 2003 Toyota Camry when he ran a stop sign on Second Avenue and struck a 2012 Ford Fusion traveling southbound on Covert Avenue in New Hyde Park, the DA says.

Kumar, who was 17 at the time, was drinking and smoking marijuana at the LIRR station in New Hyde Park before the crash occurred, according to the DA. Four other people were in his car at the time of the crash.

The driver of the Ford Fusion, Sir Pierre Antoine, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. His wife, who was found unconscious, and their daughter, who suffered a fractured leg, were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to police.

The family was in town from California visiting relatives and they were returning to a family member’s house from the hospital when the crash occurred.

Kumar was arrested later that night by Nassau County Police.

“The violent death of Sir Pierre Antoine, the life-changing injuries to his wife and daughter and the damage caused to his family by his loss are a life sentence for them,” Singas said in a press release. “This was not an accident. It was a preventable crime by a young man who did not intend the outcome but did not take seriously the responsibility of driving. I hope that all parents of driving age teenagers will use this tragic case to speak to their kids about careful driving and how quickly you can take someone’s life and ruin your own.”

The District Attorney’s Office recommended a sentence of six years in prison on one charge to run concurrent to a period of three to nine years in prison on another charge.