A Long Island man suffered a cracked skull near his home early today after trying to stop his boozed-up wife from driving drunk by jumping on the hood of the family truck as she sped off, cops said.
Sandra Bolando, 38, and hubby Douglas Bolando, 39 — who neighbors described as busy parents who finally had a quiet night to drink together — started their bender at home on Maplewood Drive in West Baylon before hitting a bar, cops said.
“It was a rare opportunity to get to go out and relax,” said Detective Sgt. Kevin Naylor of the Suffolk Police.
The couple – who had left their two kids, aged 4 and 6 at a babysitter — had just gotten home safely from their carousing when Sandra insisted on heading back out for more libations at about 3:15 a.m.
“She wanted to go out to the bar for some more,” Naylor said. “He didn’t want to.”
The couple argued, and then Sandra got into her husband’s 2003 Dodge pickup truck to leave. Douglas hopped on the hood to stop her.
“He said to her that he didn’t want her driving and that they were both in no shape to drive,” Naylor said. “She drove down the block, made a turn, and he fell off. His head and face took the full impact on hitting the roadway.”
She continued driving “oblivious to the seriousness of his injuries,” he said.
Medics took him to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, while cops stopped and arrested Sandra a short distance away.
Bolando is listed in serious condition with a fractured skull, as well as a possible neck injury. Naylor said swelling made it difficult for doctors to fully evaluate that injury.
The wife is charged with DWI, leaving the scene of an accident with serious physical injuries, and felony vehicular assault. She refused to take a breath test, so cops don’t know exactly how drunk she was. The truck was impounded for a safety check.
She will be arraigned in Central Islip on Sunday. Naylor said she had one previous DWI arrest in 1992.
“It’s a shame,“ Naylor said, adding there is no history of domestic violence at the house. “Otherwise they seem they’re a good, solid, hardworking couple.”