Twenty-six-year-old Nicole Pollock pleaded not guilty to 13 charges when she was arraigned on Wednesday in Nassau County Court in Mineola.
Prosecutors say she was drunk and speeding when she crashed into the rear of a car on Meadowbrook Parkway last month, sending a woman’s vehicle into a tree, killing her and injuring her eight-year-old son.
Pollock’s charges include first- and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, second- and third-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter.
If convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide, she could spend up to 25 years in prison.
Police said the wreck occurred just after midnight on February 2 on the northbound side of the parkway.
Prosecutors said Pollock was driving a 2012 Nissan Rogue at around 100 miles per hour when she crashed into the rear of a 2006 Kia driven by Lissette Quintanilla.
The 39-year-old Quintanilla lost control of her car, went across lanes of traffic and entered a wooded area where she crashed into a tree.
Her son received a fractured arm as well as a broken left elbow.
Prosecutors allege that Pollock tried to leave the accident scene and fought with an officer. She was reportedly able to get out of her handcuffs before she was detained.
Pollock allegedly had bloodshot eyes, a strong smell of alcohol on her breath, slurred speech, and poor coordination.
When her blood was tested at a hospital, she had a blood alcohol content of 0.18%. New York’s legal limit is 0.08%.
Pollock is also accused of reckless driving, second-degree reckless endangerment, aggravated driving while intoxicated, driving while ability impaired by drugs or alcohol, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, and two counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
She returns to court on March 30.
If you lost a loved on in an accident caused by a drunk driver, reach out to a Buffalo car accident lawyer for advice.
Source: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/deadly-crash-meadowbrook-parkway-drunk-speeding-1.42463924
