Bay Shore Man Found Guilty For Fatal DWI Crash: DA

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A Bay Shore man was found guilty on Tuesday for killing one person and hurting two others in a 2017 car crash while driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini.

Fernando Ramirez Jr., 34, was convicted by a jury of three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, aggravated DWI, two counts of DWI, driving while ability impaired by a combination of drugs and alcohol, reckless driving, and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle on a highway, a traffic infraction, the DA said.

In November 2017, Ramirez was driving a 2008 Subaru eastbound on the Long Island Expressway service road in Hauppauge when he ran a red light at the intersection of the service road and Route 111, striking a red 1997 Ford F150, according to the DA. Both cars then collided with a blue 2004 Infiniti G35 driving northbound on Route 111, according to Sini.

A passenger in the Ford, 31-year-old Daniel Granados, of Central Islip, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, the DA said.

The driver of the Ford was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries. The driver of the Infiniti was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore for minor injuries.

Ramirez sustained two broken femurs in the crash and one hour after the crash, a blood test revealed his blood alcohol level to be .19 percent, over twice the legal limit, according to Sini. His blood also tested positive for the presence of THC, the DA said.

"This is yet another devastating crash caused by the reckless, inexcusable decision to drive while drunk and on drugs," Sini said. "This conviction cannot undo the pain caused by the defendant, but it holds him accountable for his selfish actions. There is no reason in this day and age why anyone should be getting behind the wheel while intoxicated."

Opening statements in the trial began on April 21. The jury deliberated for less than one day before returning a verdict of guilty on all counts, according to Sini.

Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei on June 1. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 to 25 years in prison.