By Mike Schnitzel
"You just saw my entire existence defined," said Neil Flynn of Lido Beach, whose daughter Katie, 7, was killed in the Meadowbrook Parkway crash along with limousine driver Stanley Rabinowitz, 59, of Farmingdale. "These five seconds defined life for me and my wife for the rest of our lives." Flynn and his wife, Jennifer, were in the limousine along with three other relatives who survived the crash in the early morning hours of July 2, 2005.
The video, taken by a camera in the limousine, was played without an introduction by prosecutors, who then rested their case after nearly a month of testimony. It showed bright lights coming toward the limousine before a thunderous clapping sound, after which the two vehicles drifted toward the median of the parkway.
A third vehicle involved in the crash, driven by Steed Davidson, 40, who lived in Freeport at the time, could not be seen in the videotape. Davidson testified on Sept. 25 that he was unable to stop after Heidgen's truck - which was headed north in the parkway's southbound lanes - slammed into the limousine. Davidson's vehicle struck the limousine moments after the initial impact.
Heidgen, 25, was charged with second-degree murder. He had consumed as many as 14 drinks, according to a blood sample taken after the crash, which was readmitted into evidence on Sept. 27 by Acting State Supreme Court Justice Alan Honorof after a DNA test linked Heidgen to the sample. Geneticist Daniel Arana testified in court that day that there was a "one-in-a-trillion chance" that the blood could belong to someone other than Heidgen based on the DNA test. He then noted that the population of the planet is about 6 billion. The blood sample was previously disallowed by Honorof after Heidgen's attorney, Stephen LaMagna, of Garden City, claimed that state police mishandled it.
Toxicologist William Closson testified that Heidgen's tested blood alcohol content of .28 percent - more than three times the state's legal limit of .08 percent - could have slowed his reaction time and thinking. When asked by LaMagna if Heidgen's confusion about where he was also could have slowed his reaction time, Closson replied that it was possible. Heidgen had lived in Valley Stream for about eight months at the time of the accident, and LaMagna has said that Heidgen was unfamiliar with where he was and confused when the crash occurred. He said Heidgen was trying to slow down to point his car in the right direction just before the crash.
The defense was expected to begin presenting its case in New York State Supreme Court in Mineola on Wednesday.
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