Doctor Pleads Guilty To Driving Drunk, Killing Woman In Smithtown Crash

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A New York cardiologist admitted in court Thursday he was driving drunk when he hit and killed a woman last year.

Dr. Thomas Stavola pleaded guilty to manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of the accident that left Monica Peterman, 45, dead in June 2014, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.

Peterman's heartbroken family cried as prosecutors talked about the night the dialysis technician was killed.

Peterman was on her way to work in Smithtown when Stavola slammed into her car.

Prosecutors said that instead of helping Peterman, the doctor walked away from the accident.

"Monica was a very caring person," Peterman's grief-stricken husband, Russell, told Hall. "Unfortunately, she died on her way to caring for other people. She always gave them herself.

"This past almost year and a half has been a roller-coaster ride. I'm still waiting for her to come through the door, a door that she'll never enter again."

The judge promised a sentence of two years behind bars. Stavola is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

Peterman's family, meanwhile, is suing Stavola for wrongful death.