Suffolk Man Convicted in Fatal DWI Crash

A Nassau County jury found an Islip Terrace man guilty on Friday of crashing his car into several trees off the Wantagh State Parkway last year, killing his girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car.

Michael Bauer, 53, was convicted of manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and two counts of driving while intoxicated. He faces up to 15 years in prison at his Dec. 4 sentencing.

Bauer and his girlfriend, Mary McInerney, 59, of Hicksville, were driving northbound on the the parkway after a night of drinking at a bar on Freeport’s Nautical Mile on Sept. 5, 2008.

Bauer, who was driving at speeds approaching 85 miles per hour, lost control of his BMW 325i, skidding nearly 400 feet and off the roadway before striking several trees and coming to a rest near the footbridge connecting the parkway to Wantagh High School, Nassau prosecutors said.

“Mr. Bauer did not set out that night to kill his girlfriend, but his reckless decision to drink and drive made this tragedy inevitable,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those individuals who endanger innocent passengers and motorists by drinking and driving.”