The Long Island doctor who was killed when she flew out from a moving Airstream trailer was going on a trip with her family members to watch the eclipse – and her daughter witnessed the devastating incident, a neighbor and law enforcement officials said on Monday.
Well-known pediatrician Monika Woroniecka, a 58-year-old married mother of three and an expert in allergy and immunology at Stony Brook Medicine, was traveling in the newly bought sleek silver 2024 trailer with her husband when the tragic accident unfolded on an upstate highway last Saturday, according to a resident who spoke to The New York Post, visibly emotional. Her family has since been left devastated.
Family Trip Turns Fatal
"They were going upstate to watch the solar eclipse," said the grief-stricken neighbor, Maria Antipas. "My husband saw them right before they left. He happened to talk to them, and [Woroniecka's husband] Robert [said] they were going up with their daughter to see the total eclipse.
"Poor Robert. Poor kids," she said, sobbing. "Really nice family, good neighbors — the best."
The family, headed to an AirBnb in Cape Vincent, made a stop at Stewart's gas station in upstate Brownville for ice cream, according to state police Sgt. Jack Keller. It was during this stop that Woroniecki and Helena—set to marry this year—opted to ride in the trailer for the final 20 minutes of their journey.
While attempting to secure the passenger side of the camper, Woroniecka was thrown from the Airstream, resulting in her tragic death witnessed by her horrified family.
Her husband, Robert Woroniecka, 59, was driving the couple's 2019 gray Ram pickup truck westward on Route 12 E in Brownville around 3 pm on Saturday when the tragedy unfolded.
According to state law, it is illegal for anyone to ride in a "house coach trailer," such as the family's Airstream, while it is hitched to a vehicle and in transit on the road.
"According to Helena's accounts, she was lying on the bed located in the rear of the camper," Keller said. "Helena recalls that her mother was trying to secure the passenger side door of the camper and subsequently gets thrown from the Airstream."
Life Gets Eclipsed
State troopers said that eyewitnesses to the tragic incident at 3 p.m. described seeing the passenger door of the trailer swing open on State Route 12K in Watertown. They saw the doctor still holding onto the door handle as the tragedy unfolded.
Police stated that she was thrown onto the pavement, hitting her head on the shoulder. Woroniecka was quickly transported to Samaritan Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
"They moved here about four, five years ago," Maria told the outlet of the Stony Brook family. "They just brought the Airstream two months ago. [Woroniecki] was so sweet. Really nice person — really nice.
"They have three daughters," she added of the couple. "One of them is a musician. She was going to school in the city. The oldest daughter lives in Virginia. The other one is studying to be a doctor in Arizona, and she's getting married this year. Oh God! I can't believe this."
Maria said that the daughter, who is studying music, would often sit outside and play the violin, bringing joy to the neighbors. Social media posts indicate that the daughter is enrolled at Juilliard.
According to her medical profile, the victim had been employed at Stony Brook Medicine since the early 2000s.
