Lynbrook DWI driver pleads guilty to manslaughter

The drunk driver who killed East Rockaway resident Tim Motherway in a car accident last March pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and one count of misdemeanor DWI on Tuesday at Nassau County Criminal Court in Mineola. The drunk driver, Patricia Bregel, 33, will receive 16 months to 4 years in jail. She will begin to serve her sentence in six weeks.

Motherway's mother, Peggy, said that her family wanted Bregel to receive two to six years in jail for killing her son, but judges later reduced it to a maximum of four. At Bregel's sentencing in six weeks, Motherway's family will read an impact statement to the courts, in which Peggy said they will urge them to give Bregel more time behind bars. "It's not equal time," Motherway said of Bregel's sentence. "It's just not enough."

She added though that she doesn't think the impact statement will have much of an affect on the court's decision. "We want to tell them about Tim, but it's too late," Peggy said. "It's putting the cart before the horse."

Tim's sister, Kathryn, said the next step for their family is to try to put this behind them. She added that she thought Bregel's sentence was too lenient. "It's not a fair punishment," she said. "Two to six years isn't enough, but it seemed like that was the most we could get."

Kathryn noted that Bregel's family tried to reach out to them after the accident, but her family had no desire to meet with them. She said that since then, Bregel has not reached out to them to offer any apologies. "She shows no remorse in court," Kathryn said.

Bregel's lawyer, Salvatore Marinello, said he thought that his client's punishment was just. "I think it's a fair sentence," Marinello said. "There's still the issue of who caused the accident."

Marinello noted that if Bregel took the case to trial and lost, she could face 15 years in jail.

On March 27, 2009, Motherway, who was driving south on Atlantic Avenue in a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu, made a left turn into his driveway at 12:45 a.m. when he was hit just a few yards from his doorstep by a northbound 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Bregel. Police reports note that Bregel was driving over 50 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed zone.

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