18-year-old driver charged in Suffolk County collision that killed woman, injured daughter

WYANDANCH, LONG ISLAND, NY – A teenage driver has been arrested and charged following a deadly car crash on Long Island last Friday afternoon, reports Newsday.

18-year-old Franklyn Charles of West Babylon was taken into custody in connection with the collision that occurred in the area of Little East Neck Road and Lincoln Avenue in Wyandanch.

Suffolk County police said Charles was driving northbound in a BMW at about 3:47 p.m. when he crashed into a Hyundai Sonata that was making a left turn onto Lincoln Avenue. A police officer reported seeing Charles weaving and driving into oncoming traffic before the collision.

The driver of the Sonata, 38-year-old Jennifer Figueroa of Wyandanch, was pronounced dead after being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip. Her 11-year-old daughter was seriously injured and treated at the same hospital.

Charles and a 14-year-old passenger were transported to the hospital for evaluation and then released.

Charles now faces charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.  He was being held on $100,000 bond.

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