On Saturday, April 6, 2024, Dr. Monika I. Woroniecka, a 58-year-old pediatrician specializing in children’s allergy and immunology, lost her life after being hurled from a moving Airstream trailer.
The accident occurred on State Route 12E near Brownville, New York, as Dr. Woroniecka and her family were en route to an Airbnb in Cape Vincent, New York to watch the total solar eclipse. Brownville is located in Jefferson County, approximately 290 miles north and slightly west of New York City.
The family was traveling in a pickup truck driven by her husband, 59-year-old Robert P. Woroniecka. The pickup was towing a 2024 Airstream trailer. Dr. Woroniecka and her oldest daughter, Helena, had decided to spend the last portion of their trip, approximately a 20-minute ride, inside the Airstream.
A spokesperson for the New York State Police reported that the accident occurred just after the family had paused for ice cream at a Stewart’s gas station in Brownville. In the process of attempting to close the trailer’s passenger side door that had opened during transit, Dr. Woroniecka, holding onto the door handle to close it, was ejected from the trailer, striking her head on the road’s edge. She was quickly transported to Samaritan Medical Center’s Emergency Room in nearby Watertown, New York where she later died from her injuries.
Originally from Poland, Dr. Woroniecka was a respected physician with Stony Brook Medicine on Long Island, where she had served since the early 2000s. Her work drew Polish-speaking families from great distances, a testament to her dedication and the trust she engendered among her patients and their families. Beyond her professional life, she enjoyed travel, hiking, exercise, and spending time with family and friends.
On Monday, Stony Brook Medicine said that they felt “deep regret and extended thoughts to her family, friends, and colleagues during this sad time.”
The accident has highlighted the dangers of passengers riding in trailers, with Airstream noting that it advises against it and that it’s illegal in New York state to have passengers in a travel trailer while it is in motion. This tragedy emphasizes the importance of safety precautions while traveling, especially in configurations not designed for passenger transport.