A Long Island woman was sentenced Monday to between 2 and 6 years in prison for a deadly car crash that killed a volunteer firefighter in June 2024.
Maria Guallpa-Bonilla, 37, previously pleaded guilty in the case and faced a maximum of seven years in prison, Newsday reported. She apologized in court on Monday to the family of the victim, 22-year-old Christopher Hlavaty.
Hlavaty was riding his motorcycle in Patchogue on June 10 when Guallpa-Bonilla, traveling in the opposite direction on her way home from work, turned left and crashed into him, according to police.
Guallpa-Bonilla did not stop and continued on her way home, authorities said. She also did not report the crash to police or notify anyone in any way.
Investigators matched car parts at the scene to Guallpa-Bonilla’s vehicle. They found the car two days later in her driveway, covered by a tarp.
At the time of the wreck, Guallpa-Bonilla was driving on a learner’s permit and required to have someone else in the vehicle with her, which she did not, cops said.
In October, she pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the scene of a crash without reporting. Her attorney said she wanted to speed up the judicial process for the sake of Hlavaty’s family.
“I do not believe she had any intent to cause anyone harm,” defense attorney Luigi Belcastro told Newsday.
Hlavaty was a volunteer firefighter with the Hagerman Fire Department and was set to join the National Guard just days after the wreck.