Driver arrested for DWAI after hitting pedestrian in Long Beach

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The driver of an SUV was charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol after police said she struck and seriously injured a Long Beach man while he was crossing East Park Avenue last Sunday.

Nassau County and Long Beach police said that the incident occurred on Sept. 23 at 12:51 a.m., when the 53-year-old pedestrian was crossing the eastbound lanes of East Park at Long Beach Boulevard.

Police said that an unknown vehicle was stopped in the left lane of Park Avenue, allowing the man to cross in front of the vehicle. As he continued in the center of the crosswalk, heading toward the south side of the road, he was struck by the driver of a 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander.

Police said that the driver of the vehicle, 32-year-old Dana Giffin, of East Meadow, had the green light and attempted to stop but struck the victim as he crossed. Giffin remained at the scene and contacted police for assistance.

The man was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital in serious condition, a spokesman for the Long Beach Police Department said.

Giffin was subsequently arrested by Long Beach police and charged with one count of driving while ability impaired by alcohol.

According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, those charged with a DWAI have a blood alcohol concentration of more than .05 percent but less than .07 percent, or other evidence of impairment.