A Yaphank woman has pleaded guilty to causing a fatal crash last year that killed one person and injured another. The defendant was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana at the time of the crash.
On November 22, 2024, at approximately 8:39 p.m., Melissa Koprowski was operating a 2014 Dodge Durango eastbound on Middle Country Road in Middle Island when she entered the intersection at Wading River Hollow Road and attempted to make a left-hand turn in front of oncoming traffic, without having the right of way.
At that time, a blue 2022 Nissan Rogue was traveling westbound on Middle Country Road proceeding through the intersection with a green light. The driver’s two-year-old child and 75-year-old mother, Esther Guy, were seated in the backseat of the Rogue. Koprowski’s SUV crashed head-on into the Rogue within the westbound lane of the intersection, sending the Rogue off the road and into the wooded shoulder.
Immediately following the crash, Suffolk County police and other emergency responders rendered aid to those involved in the collision.All three occupants of the Nissan Rogue were transported by ambulance to Long Island Community Hospital where the driver of the Rogue was treated for her injuries. Guy was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival to the hospital. The two-year-old child was uninjured.
Koprowski was also transported to Long Island Community Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. While at the hospital, officers observed that she displayed signs of intoxication and placed the defendant under arrest. Subsequent toxicology testing revealed a blood alcohol concentration of .12% and a high level of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana).
On October 1, 2025, Koprowski, 32, pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz, to the following charges contained in the indictment:
- Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony
- Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class D felony
- Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony
- Assault in the Third Degree, a Class A misdemeanor
- Two counts of Driving While Intoxicated, unclassified misdemeanors
- Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, a Class A misdemeanor
- Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combination of Alcohol and a Drug, an unclassified misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving, an unclassified misdemeanor
Koprowski faces 4 to 12 years in prison. She is due back in court on November 17, 2025.
“No family deserves to go through the pain and anguish of violently losing a family member, let alone in front of their eyes,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “We hope that today’s conviction brings some measure of justice to the family of Esther Guy.”