An Islip Fire Department ambulance crew was loading an injured 26-year-old patient early Sunday when a Honda Accord slammed into the vehicle on Main Street in Bay Shore, throwing the man off his stretcher and into the street. Suffolk County Police say the driver, 32-year-old Edith Cairo of Islip, was intoxicated at the time of the crash, which happened at roughly 2:15 a.m. just east of 3rd Avenue.
The ambulance had its emergency lights activated while crew members worked to load the patient when Cairo's 2017 Honda Accord struck the rig, according to Suffolk County Police. Investigators told News 12 Long Island that the impact ejected the patient's stretcher from the ambulance and sent him into the street. The man, also 26 and from Islip, was ultimately taken to the hospital in a second ambulance, and police described his injuries as non-life-threatening, though they did not specify their exact nature.
An eyewitness at the scene, identified as the assistant manager of a nearby cocktail bar, told News 12 Long Island that the Honda T-boned sideways into the ambulance and that the driver then tried to run into the crowd before police caught up with her. Main Street near 3rd Avenue sits along downtown Bay Shore's main commercial strip, where bars and restaurants would have still had people out at that hour.
Charges Include Aggravated DWI
Cairo was arrested at the scene and held at the Third Precinct before her arraignment later Sunday, according to Us Weekly. She faces charges of driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, and a charge tied to striking an emergency vehicle, the outlet reported, citing court records. Online court records reviewed by Daily Voice likewise list driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, and failure to yield or move over for an emergency vehicle among the charges Cairo faces.
An aggravated DWI accusation in New York requires evidence that a driver's blood alcohol content was at least 0.18 percent, more than twice the standard 0.08 percent legal limit. Under state Vehicle and Traffic Law, a conviction on that charge carries a mandatory fine between $1,000 and $2,500 and license revocation, according to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. The charge tied to failing to move over for the stopped ambulance stems from New York's Move Over Law, which requires drivers approaching stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights to change lanes or slow down; a first offense alone can bring fines up to $150 and points on a license, per the Post Journal.
Not Guilty Plea, Next Court Date Set
Cairo pleaded not guilty to all charges at her arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip on Sunday, according to court records cited by Us Weekly, and her license was suspended pending prosecution. She was released and is scheduled to return to court Thursday, October 22, per Daily Voice. Court records did not list whether Cairo had retained an attorney as of Monday afternoon.
The Islip Fire Department, whose ambulance was struck during the rescue effort, is a volunteer agency providing emergency medical response and fire protection within its designated district. Suffolk County has historically led neighboring Nassau County in overall DWI arrests. Discussions of DWI also include suburban and rural geography and fewer public transportation options.
Part of a Troubling Pattern for Responders
The Bay Shore crash follows a string of recent emergency vehicle collisions across New York, including an October incident in Staten Island in which an FDNY ambulance struck a bicyclist, as Hoodline reported. Emergency responders face elevated risks during roadside operations, but en-route crashes and stationary rescue scenes present different scenarios.
