Dad Who Lost Daughter In Crash Hit By SUV, Fighting For Life

NORTH FORK, NY — A devastated community is praying for a father who lost his 10-year-old daughter in a Greenport crash almost two years ago — and who is now fighting for his own life after being struck by an SUV in Riverside last week.

Jason Stulsky, 40, was crossing Country Road 94 near the intersection of Country Road 51 on August 17 at 5:10 p.m. and heading south when he was struck by the driver of a 2016 Ford Explorer, who was traveling east, Southampton Town police said.

Stulsky's sister Diana spoke with Patch about her brother's fierce fight for survival.

On Tuesday, she said, Jason was crossing to catch the 5:15 p.m bus at the county center. As he crossed Nugent Drive, he was struck, she said.

"The driver stopped and cooperated completely with the investigation," she said.

Her brother was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center where, he was treated and then taken to South Shore University Hospital and admitted into the surgical intensive care unit.

"He was and still is on a ventilator for life-threatening lung injuries," Stulsky said. "When he was admitted into the SICU, within 10 minutes of getting there, his heart stopped. The doctors got him back with CPR. His blood oxygen levels were so low they needed to administer several types of medication to maintain his blood pressure. His liver and kidneys were also damaged. His pelvis is fractured as well as his skull with an injury to his brain," she said.

Jason, she said, remained in very critical condition for several days.

"We were unsure if we were going to lose our brother. By some miracle of God, his mother Rhonda was with him and he responded to her request for him to move his toes," Stulsky said. "The doctors did further testing for brain function and found he was responsive and with that, they decided to try dialysis because Jason was going into multi-system organ failure. His stats did improve a little. At this point, we are waiting hour-by-hour for improvement."

She added: "As of today, he is still showing signs of improvement!"

Their family, and an entire community, are praying — but Stulsky said there is still uncertainty about what the future holds, and all are holding on tightly to hope.

Southampton police detectives are investigating but do not anticipate any criminal charges, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Southampton Town Police Department's detective division at 631-702-2223.

Stulsky's daughter Amber, 10, died in a crash in Greenport in 2019.

After the tragic crash, there was an unprecedented outpouring of love and help.

A GoFundMe page was set up by Tony Raymond B. The crash happened right before Amber's first day of school, he said.

"Just a normal trip to Walmart for school shopping turned instantly into a fatal and tragic event," he said. "Several people rushed to the scene to rescue them from the car, but unfortunately for Amber it was too late. . . She was genuine, innocent, sweet, intelligent, talented, friendly, outgoing, and artistic. Our family will never truly recover from this, and even though she's gone, we are all struggling to keep our faith."

Another GoFundMe Page, was created by John Schott, Jason's longtime friend. September 3 will mark two years since the devastating crash that left hearts broken forever.

Others remembered Amber's happy smile and sweet personality. "Every life is so precious but when it comes to the life of a child it really just hurts to the core," one mom wrote. "I'm just so, so sorry for this family. God be with them."