Wife Of Man Hurt In Head-On Quogue Crash: 'My Heart Stopped'

QUOGUE, NY — The wife of a man seriously injured in a head-on crash in Quogue last week described the terrifying moment when she got the call.

A man was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs after a crash in Quogue Friday that left another driver — Pat Pirozzi's husband Bill —with serious injuries, police said.

Carmine J. Monteforte III, 40, of Westhampton Beach, was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.

According to Quogue Village Police, the crash took place at 2:41 p.m. near the intersection of Montauk Highway and Quogue Street. Upon arrival, officers noticed that the driver of a 2010 Ford F-150 pickup, which had been traveling east, had crossed over the solid double lines of the roadway into the westbound lanes of travel and collided head-on with a 1994 Ford F-250 pickup truck that had been heading west, police said.

Pirozzi, 60, from Mastic, suffered serious physical injuries and was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead by the Westhampton War Memorial Ambulance Corps, police said.

Monteforte, who was not hurt in the crash, was held for arraignment at Quogue Village Justice Court, police said.

Pat said her family had already been going through a painful time when the crash took place. "We just buried my dad a few days before," she said. "Bill was close to him. We were just getting back to 'normal,' and still grieving. "

Her husband Bill, Pat said, is a contractor, the owner of Hamptons Home Preservation. After the crash, clients reached out from across Westhampton, Quogue, Westhampton Beach and many other areas, she said.

"This shows how loved he truly is by not only his family but also community and customers," she said.

Describing her husband, Pat said: "Bill is the type that will pay for breakfast for a single mother and her son, local police officers and the elderly. He has paid for manicures for women while he is sitting waiting for me. Anyone can call his phone at any time and he drops what he is doing to go and help."

In addition, Pat said, Bill took on the responsibility of sole provider in their home as she cared for her mom, who passed in 2016 after a cancer battle — and to care for her father until he died last week.

When she learned about the crash, Pat said, "My heart stopped."

Her husband, she said, tried to call her from his truck, because he wanted to tell her about the crash himself. "He couldn't breathe," she said. "The call was dropped."

Pat said she called back and a Quogue police officer told her about the crash as her husband was being put into an ambulance. "I was in shock," she said. "I couldn't believe, after all we have been through, that this was actually happening."

She rushed to the trauma room in the emergency room, Pat said. "I needed to hold it together as I watched them work on Bill so I wouldn't scare him," she said. "I was thankful to lay eyes on him."

Pat also credited the trauma unit at Peconic Bay Medical Center. "They were amazing, with wonderful nurses and doctors," she said.

Her daughter, an RN, and her daughter's wife had just returned to Maine after her father's funeral and had to return back to Long Island, not 30 hours later, to help.

"No time has passed for me to get rest from caring for people. I am now needing to care for my husband," Pat said. "Thank God for our family and friends."

Her husband is distraught, as well, she said.

"Bill is devastated that he cannot provide services to his clients and help us, his family, right now — nor do we know when he can."

Both vehicles were impounded for a safety check and the crash remains under investigation by Quogue Village Police detectives. Anyone with information is asked to call Quogue Village Police detectives at 631-653-4791