DA: Sag Harbor Driver Will Do Time After Pleading Guilty To Vehicular Assault, DWI

A Sag Harbor driver who injured a woman and her 6-year-old son in a drunken driving crash in East Hampton this summer will spend the next two years behind bars after copping a plea on Tuesday.

At court in Central Islip, William Hurley, 60, who owns Peconic Beverage in East Hampton, pleaded guilty to a seven-count indictment brought against him, which included two counts of vehicular assault in the second degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the third degree, two counts of driving while intoxicated, and reckless driving.

Hurley's Toyota Tacoma pickup truck crossed the double yellow line, striking a BMW on Route 114, near Deer Haven Court, in East Hampton on July 6 at about 6:15 p.m. His blood alcohol level was .14 , Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho has promised to sentence him to two years of incarceration and two years of post-release supervision, according to a statement from Spota on Tuesday.

Elizabeth Krimendahl, a 53-year-old New York City resident, suffered a leg injury. The driver's side of her BMW was completely smashed in and firefighters had to extricate her from it. Her six-year-old son, who was in a child seat in the backseat, was hospitalized with a skull injury.

 “The defendant, who was driving all over the highway crossing over the double yellow line several times prior to the crash, told East Hampton Town police officers that he was tired, and admitted at the scene that he consumed two drinks made of Vodka and Grapefruit Juice, drinks that he described as 'strong ones',” Spota said.  

He told them he thought he fell asleep at the wheel, according to Spota. Police described him as having “glassy, bloodshot eyes” and smelling of alcohol.  

Hurley was also taken to the hospital after the crash with neck and back injuries. He was charged with DWI after being released from the hospital. He remains free on $10,000 bail.

The July accident was the second serious accident on that stretch of Route 114 in a year. In the summer of 2012, a Virginia man was killed after a head-on collision. Douglas Foster Schneiderman, a 51-year-old developer, was killed when a Ford pick-up truck hit his Volvo near South Breeze Drive on July 29 just after 12:30 p.m. That accident ultimately did not result in criminal charges.