New York doctor dies after falling out of moving trailer while headed upstate to see the eclipse

BROWNVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A Long Island doctor who was headed to upstate New York to see the solar eclipse with her family fell out of a moving trailer on a highway and died, authorities said.

Dr. Monika Woroniecka, 58, a pediatrician at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital who specialized in immunology, was riding in the 2024 Airstream trailer along with members of her family on Saturday for the last 20 minutes of their trip to see the eclipse, the New York State Police said in a news release. Woroniecka's husband, Robert Woroniecki, was driving the pickup truck that was hauling the trailer.

The wind blew the trailer's door open as the family was headed west on Route 12E in the town of Brownville and Woroniecka was thrown from the trailer, police said.

Woroniecka hit her head on the shoulder of the road, police said. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.

Dr. Susan Schuval, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Stony Brook, said in a statement that Woroniecka “was known for her calm demeanor, kindness, and dedication to her patients.”

It is against state law to ride in a “house coach trailer” such as the family's Airstream while it is hitched to a vehicle traveling on the road.