By Jeff Lipton
The defendant, Salvatore Passanisi, 36, was sentenced on Oct. 15 after pleading guilty on June 18 to second-degree vehicular assault and driving while intoxicated. Passanisi was driving his 2003 Dodge Dakota north on Oceanside Road on Sept. 8, 2007, when he collided with a 2007 Toyota driven by Nicolette Iacone, as Iacone pulled onto Oceanside Road from Erwin Place in Oceanside, according to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. Iacone, a senior at Oceanside High School at the time, suffered a fractured skull and traumatic brain injuries, the district attorney said.
"This is a tragedy for the Iacone family and the Oceanside community as a whole," District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement. "We were prepared to take this case to trial when Mr. Passanisi took responsibility for his actions."
Passanisi's attorney, Gregory Grizopoulos, said his client pleaded guilty because he did not want to put both his and the victim's families through a trial that would have revisited the details of the accident. "It would have been a very emotional trial," said Grizopoulos. "The young girl suffered terrible injuries."
He explained that Passanisi had downed two or three beers after work and was on his way home from New York City when the accident occurred. He said he does not believe alcohol played any role in the crash, however. "Because alcohol was involved, there's a knee-jerk reaction that alcohol caused the accident," Grizopoulos said. "That's an absolutely treacherous intersection, where accidents could happen every day."
Grizopoulos went on to say that Passanisi is very remorseful and has apologized to the Iacone family. "He is very upset about the accident," Grizopoulos said. "Every time he has called me, the first words out of his mouth are, 'How's the girl doing?'"
Chris Munzing, a spokesman for the district attorney, said Passanisi received the sentence Rice had recommended, with the key being the probation. "The five years' probation would make sure this doesn't happen again," said Munzing. "This is a way to keep him on the hook for five years and to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else's kid."
Passanisi could face stiffer penalties if he violates the terms of his probation, Munzing added.
"The D.A. believed that alcohol played a role, and feels that probation may prevent this from happening again," Grizopoulos said. "I truly believe that this was an accident. I don't think any amount of probation or jail time would change anything."
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
