Huntington Station crash sends elderly couple to hospital after sidewalk strike

A Honda veered onto a Huntington Station sidewalk, clipped a stopped Mercedes-Benz and smashed into a utility pole near Pulaski Road and New York Avenue, sending an elderly Huntington couple to the hospital. George Falkowski, 90, and Anita Falkowski, 92, were seriously injured in the crash, while the Mercedes driver, Marie Fond-Rose, 56, was also hospitalized with minor injuries. Suffolk County police said the collision happened at about 6:40 p.m. Friday, June 19, and the mechanics of the crash left a busy local intersection with an unusually violent scene.

Police said Fond-Rose had been stopped at a red light in a 2020 Mercedes-Benz, heading eastbound on Pulaski Road in the right-most lane, when a 2011 Honda approached from behind. Instead of stopping behind the Mercedes, the Honda went onto the sidewalk to the right of the car, struck its side and then hit the metal utility pole. The crash did not unfold as a routine rear-end collision; it sent one vehicle off the roadway and into fixed infrastructure in a matter of seconds.

The Falkowskis, both of Huntington, were taken to Huntington Hospital after the impact. Their injuries turned an everyday traffic stop into a medical emergency and added to the sense of danger at a corner where pedestrians, drivers and utility poles sit close together. Suffolk County police said both vehicles were impounded for safety checks as detectives from the Second Squad continued to investigate.

The crash also lands in a part of Huntington Station that has already been under scrutiny. The Town of Huntington has been discussing New York Avenue streetscape and safety improvements as part of 2026 Huntington Station Downtown Revitalization Initiative planning, including design changes meant to improve the corridor. Recent Suffolk County Police releases have also shown multiple serious crashes in Huntington Station this year, reinforcing concerns that the area remains a recurring traffic-safety problem rather than an isolated scene.

Police asked anyone with information to contact the Suffolk County Police Second Precinct front desk at 631-854-8200 or the department’s non-emergency line at 631-852-6000. As Second Squad detectives sort through the cause, the question in Huntington Station is whether speed, visibility, road layout or some other failure turned a red-light stop into a sidewalk strike.