A driver who , had a blood alcohol three-and-a-half times the legal limit, according to toxicology results released by the Riverhead Police.
Julio Velez, a 50-year-old Mastic man, died around 8 p.m. on Saturday April 7 when police said he was driving eastbound on Route 58, just east of the Wal-Mart shopping plaza, and crossed into the westbound lane. He hit a 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara head-on and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Riverhead Police, Velez had a blood alcohol content of 0.28 percent. Drivers with a BAC over 0.08 are considered drunk according to state law.
An investigation on the night of the accident revealed that Velez had been involved in two other, minor accidents west of the accident prior to the fatal crash and fled both. The two prior accidents occurred near the Riverhead traffic circle and Kentucky Fried Chicken, police said.
A Riverhead resident, her son, and her son's friend were driving the Suzuki. All three were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
