A young woman who had graduated from high school the day before was killed Sunday on her way home from work by a driver who was later charged with DWI, Suffolk police said.
Brittney Walsh, 18, was driving home from work Sunday night around 10:20 p.m. on Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst when her car was struck by a 2004 Nissan.
"They were both driving westbound, he came up on her, struck her car in the rear," said Detective Lt. Robert Edwards, of the Suffolk County police. "Caused her to flip multiple times and she ended up against the utility pole and unfortunately this ended in a fatality."
The driver of the Nissan, Michael Grasing, 31, of Babylon, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Police say they won't know his blood alcohol content until the toxicology report is done, but there were visible signs of intoxication.
Security video of the crash, obtained by NBC 4 New York, shows the point of impact. It appears from the video that Grasing didn't slow down after the crash.
Walsh had just graduated from Copiague High School on Saturday. Her parents were getting ready to sign off on financial aid forms for college. Now they are preparing her funeral.
"This you can't say sorry for," said Tom Walsh. "You can't fix this. It's not going to go away. I wish she could just come back home."
Neighbors of Grasing's family say they are also distraught over the teen's tragic death. They say Grasing is married and has a young son.
Maria Maxwell lives near the family and has known them for some time. "This is a beautiful family we are dealing with and Michael's a great young man. Sad, very sad," she said.
Police say they are investigating Grasing's whereabouts before the crash.
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