Dr. Monika Woroniecka Stony Brook pediatrician killed after falling out of moving Airstream trailer connected to vehicle her husband was driving as Long Island doctor sat in the trailer as the family drove upstate for a road trip.
A death that could’ve been prevented? A Long Island pediatrician was killed over the weekend when she fell out of a moving Airstream trailer while still clutching at the door’s handle as her husband drove upstate during a family road trip..
Dr. Monika Woroniecka — a 58-year-old married mom and children’s allergy and immunology specialist with Stony Brook Medicine — was in the 2024 silver trailer with other family members when she fell through the door shortly after 3 p.m. and onto State Route 12E in Watertown according to a release from NY State Police.
Woroniecka’s husband, Robert, 59, was driving the gray 2019 Ram pickup truck pulling the trailer at the time, when winds caused the door to swing open, causing her to be thrown from the Airstream.
Clutching door handle amid sudden gust of wind
Motorists who witnessed the fatal fall said the passenger-side door of the Airstream flew open amid wind gusts while the doctor was clutching its handle, police said.
The children’s doctor landed on the shoulder of the highway, striking her head.
She was rushed to Samaritan Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The traffic accident came as Woroniecka and other relatives boarded the trailer for the final 20 minutes of a road trip from Stony Brook, LI, where the family lives, the troopers said.
Dr. Woroniecka worked at Stony Brook Medicine since the early 2000s, according to her medical profile.
‘She enjoys working with children and their families and developing a long-term relationship with families while guiding them through chronic allergy-related conditions,’ the profile stated. ‘Dr. Woroniecka’s native language is Polish [and] draws Polish-speaking families from far distances.’
A recipe for disaster
‘Dr. Woroniecka likes to travel, hike, exercise, and spend time with family and friends,’ the post added.
And then there were these comments on social media that caught this author’s attention below. See what you think?
‘The seats in mobile home trailers are not engineered, nor certified for safe occupancy in “on the road” conditions. Nor are the doors/latches designed to handle the forces of a human body being thrown at them in a swaying vehicle.’
‘Seat belts are in MOTORHOMES that are driven. They are not in travel trailers that are being towed. No one should be in a trailer being towed.’
‘People should not be inside a trailer that is not accessible from the driving compartment. This was a recipe for disaster.’
