By Chris Munzing
The man identified by police as the driver of the truck, Martin Heidgen of Valley Stream, was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter and drunk driving, according to the Nassau County district attorney's office, which added that more charges could follow.
Flynn, the daughter of Jennifer and Neil Flynn of Lido and the granddaughter of Denise and Chris Tangney of Long Beach, was killed when the limousine in which she was riding with her family was hit by a truck traveling at high speed, allegedly in the wrong direction, on the parkway. The crash also claimed the life of the limo driver, Stanley Rabinowitz of Farmingdale, and left the Flynn and Tangney families reeling and broken.
Now, days later, as the community tries to come to grips with the tragedy, friends are encouraging everyone to pray for those who survived and to keep the families in their thoughts. "We're doing anything we can for the family," Long Beach Police Commissioner Thomas Sofield Sr. said. Flynn was the grandniece of LBPD Lt. Michael Tangney. "Whatever they need, both professionally and personally. It's an unspeakable tragedy that none of us can comprehend.
"Sometimes God takes his smallest angels," Sofield said. "All we can do is pray for those left behind."
Nearly everyone in Long Beach, it seems, has a connection of some sort to a Flynn or a Tangney. Denise Tangney, a retired Long Beach teacher, is a budding politician who is seeking the Democratic nomination for a City Council seat. Her husband, Chris, is a retired Nassau County policeman. Their children all grew up in Long Beach, and Katie Flynn was a second-grader at Long Beach Catholic Regional School.
Nassau County District Court Judge David Gross, also of Long Beach, said he believed that the charges were second-degree manslaughter instead of first-degree because first-degree requires proof of recklessness, while second-degree only requires proof of negligence. Gross added that the charges could be upgraded, because the district attorney's office is still awaiting the results of a blood-alcohol test.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Gross said that drunk driving would decline significantly only when society no longer looks at drinking to excess as acceptable. "Until we pass that hurdle, we're still going to have drinking and driving," he said. "The social attitude has to change, and it starts with people saying, 'Don't have another drink' or 'I'm not letting you drive in this condition.' Usually it's 'Drive slow and good luck.'"
State police officials were mum about where Heidgen entered the Meadowbrook. The road has a natural median of grass and trees along most of its length, but tire tracks were visible Monday in the grass near the scene of the accident, which occurred near Exit M7 in Freeport. Heidgen may have entered the highway one the wrong side as far back as the turnaround near the Loop Parkway.
No one answered the door at Heidgen's mother's Valley Stream home on Tuesday, and neighbors said they knew the mother only slightly and her son not at all.
The New York State Police, which investigated the accident, declined to comment, because it is still under investigation.
The Rev. Donald Beckmann is in only his second week as pastor of St. Ignatius Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Long Beach, where prayer services were held for the families on Sunday. He said he was impressed by the sense of community and friendship he witnessed this week. "I've been so very touched by the outpouring of support I've seen from the people of Long Beach," he said.
Beckmann encouraged well-wishers to send notes and letters of support, but to wait until those still under medical care had returned home before making visits. "Right now, that should be left to family members," he said.
The accident sent shock waves across the region, becoming the focus of heavy media and political attention. Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi released a statement Tuesday. "I know the good works of these families, and offer them our sympathies and any and all help they may need," Suozzi said. "We pray for their solace."
Bernadette Ciccarello of Long Beach, who described herself as a longtime friend of the Flynns and the Tangneys, said that the sentences imposed on drunk drivers who cause such accidents need to be more severe. She spoke from experience. Ciccarello's 17-year-old son and three friends were involved in an accident with a drunk driver in Oceanside last year that left everyone badly injured. Though her son has made a recovery, Ciccarello said it easily could have been worse.
"It's inconceivable," she said. "It just makes me crazy. The guy that hit my son had a suspended license and a prior arrest. But suspending a license does nothing. The consequences have to be stronger."
Ciccarello said that she hadn't seen Long Beach like this in a long time. "It's very somber here right now," she said. "It's very sad. This little girl didn't even live her life."
Editor's note: The Katherine Marie Flynn Foundation Inc. was created earlier this week to accept donations for the family. Checks may be sent in care of the foundation to Murray & McCann, 100 Merrick Rd., Suite 514W, Rockville Centre, N.Y. 11570.
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