Central Islip, NY - November 14, 2018 - Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini today announced the sentencing of a man for killing one person and injuring seven others in a motor vehicle crash that occurred on the Long Island Expressway near Shirley on March 31.
“In this day and age, there is no excuse for anyone to get behind the wheel of a car if they’ve been doing drugs or drinking,” District Attorney Sini said. “A woman lost her life and the victims who survived this horrific crash had their lives changed forever because of this defendant’s senseless decision.”
Peter Visconti Jr., 38, of Mastic, pleaded guilty on Oct. 11 to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a B felony; three counts of Assault in the Second Degree, a D felony; three counts of Assault in the Third Degree, an A misdemeanor; Operating a Motor Vehicle While Impaired by Drugs in the First Degree, an unclassified misdemeanor; and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree, an A misdemeanor.
He was sentenced today by Suffolk County Acting Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho to six to 18 years in prison.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on March 31, Visconti was driving a 2004 Ford pickup truck westbound on the Long Island Expressway near William Floyd Parkway in Shirley when he struck a 2011 Honda minivan. He was driving erratically and had veered off the road twice prior to the crash.
Visconti’s truck crossed over the median and onto the eastbound lanes where it struck a motorcycle and a 2013 Toyota minivan. The force of the impact caused the side panel from the minivan to become impaled on Visconti’s truck.
A passenger in the Toyota minivan was pronounced dead at the Long Island Medical Center in East Patchogue following the crash. The other six passengers in the van, who were all visiting from China, were injured in the crash and transported to area hospitals. Three of the passengers suffered serious physical injuries.
The motorcyclist also suffered serious physical injury. The passengers in the Honda minivan did not receive medical treatment.
The defendant was transported to Brookhaven Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. He was interviewed at the hospital by a drug recognition expert from the Suffolk County Police Department who determined Visconti was exhibiting signs of being impaired by a drug. Visconti consented to a blood test, which tested positive for alprazolam (Xanax) and cocaine.
The defendant was also operating the motor vehicle with a suspended license at the time of the crash.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sean MacDonnell, of the Vehicular Crime Bureau.