An accused drunken driver is facing charges that he drove the wrong way and collided headed-on with a car driven by an off-duty police officer in Ridge early Saturday morning.
Suffolk County police said Francisco Tomas was driving a Volkswagen Jetta eastbound in the westbound lanes on Middle Country Road when at 4:17 a.m. he struck a Honda Civic driven by the officer east of William Floyd Parkway.
Tomas, who turns 27 on Wednesday, and the East Hampton Town Police officer, who was not identified, were both taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center. Both men were driving alone at the time.
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The officer suffered a fractured sternum and a minor head injury. Tomas was treated for a severe ankle injury and a broken leg.
Tomas was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving without a license and crossing the divider. The charges could reportedly be upgraded pending results of a court-ordered blood test.
It was not immediately clear if Tomas had a lawyer. He pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned Tuesday at the hospital. Judge James P. Flanagan set bail for Tomas at $25,000 cash or $75,000 bond.
The officer remained hospitalized Tuesday but Tomas is expected to be released, according to a police spokeswoman.
Tomas is due back at First District Court in Central Islip on June 6.
-With Associated Press.
