Katie flynn drunk driver

Credit: Handout. The second announcement begins with the photo that first broke Long Island 's heart in A beautiful 7-year-old flower girl smiling up at the camera, just hours before she was killed in perhaps the most famously horrific drunken driving crash in local history. Then we see the video that was taken from the limousine in which Katie Flynn was riding home from a family wedding July 2, , the lights of convicted drunken-driving murderer Martin Heidgen's pickup truck rushing toward the camera in the dark.

The stunningly powerful announcement is one of two based on the crash that killed Katie Flynn and limousine driver Stanley Rabinowitz released Monday morning by the state Department of Motor Vehicles , officials said. David Swarts, chairman of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee and commissioner of the state Department of Motor Vehicles , said his office decided to make the public service spots - aimed at promoting safe driving - after seeing research that showed some repeat drunken drivers would be deterred if they saw how their actions could hurt people.

Heidgen, then 24, of Valley Stream , whose pickup slammed into the limousine in which the Flynns, of Long Beach , were traveling home from a family wedding, was convicted of murder in and is serving an years-to-life prison sentence.

The charge, murder with depraved indifference, was rare in those circumstances but prosecutors felt it was warranted because, they said, he didn't care if anyone else was killed by his actions.

In the public service announcements, an audio track plays segments of interviews with Katie's parents, Neil and Jennifer Flynn, saying that drunken driving killed their daughter. Neil Flynn, in a telephone interview, praised the state for highlighting the dangers of drunken driving.

Next to arrive was Lt. Tangney says. The rest of the family was piled on top of each other. Five-year-old Grace was also trapped inside the wreckage. Jennifer, whose foot was injured, managed to climb out and was searching for Katie, who had been lying on the side seat before the crash.

Then, Jennifer made a devastating discovery — Katie had been decapitated by her seat belt. She was wearing this dress, and I just started shaking. No racist, discriminatory, vulgar or threatening language will be tolerated. Be transparent. Use your real name, and back up your claims. Keep it local and relevant. Make sure your replies stay on topic. Review the Patch Community Guidelines. Reply to this article Reply.