A Dix Hills woman seriously injured in a Deer Park nail salon when an accused drunken driver slammed his car into the business, killing four people, filed a lawsuit Friday against the man behind the wheel, the liquor store that sold him alcohol before the crash, and the salon he drove into. Nicole Miele, 54, said her life changed forever after she sustained fractured ribs, a broken sternum, and cuts to her eyes, face and chest on June 28 around 4:30 p.m.
when, prosecutors say, Steven Schwally gunned his 2020 Chevy Traverse to 78 mph through the Kohl’s parking lot, across Grand Boulevard and barreled into the Hawaii Nail & Spa. There were 14 people, including a 12-year-old girl, inside the business at the time. The salon co-owner, Jian Chai “Ken” Chen, 37, employees Yan Xu, 41, and Mei Zi Zhang, 50 , and NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, 30, of Deer Park, died in the crash.
Miele and four others were seriously injured. Schwally, 64, pleaded not guilty to 37 charges, including homicide, aggravated vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving. Prosecutors say his blood alcohol content was .
17, more than double the legal limit to drive. Steven Schwally appears in a Central Islip courtroom on July 1. Credit: James Carbone Miele told Newsday that she had been going to the salon for the last 14 years and knew the owner and many of the nail technicians.
The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Suffolk County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. By clicking Sign up, you agree t.