By Matthew Monks
Gerard Gormley, 37, of 25-10 Crescent St., was arrested at his house hours after police said he drove his 1991 Chevy Caprice through a red light on 35th Avenue and collided with a 2002 Ford Taurus moving south on 31st Street shortly after midnight, police said..Little Ilda Ujkaj, 10, and her cousin, Selma Purovic, 18, were riding in the back seat of the Taurus, which was slammed into a steel subway pole. The rear passenger side of the vehicle was smashed.Ymer Ujkaj, 42, Ilda's father, said in a telephone interview Monday that his daughter was in critical condition at Schneider's Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park. “She still is in a coma,” the distraught man said. Purovic suffered several broken bones and head injuries but was conscience and in stable condition. Fatbardha Ujkaj, 37, Ilda's mother, dislocated her shoulder. The family was returning to their home on 83rd Street in Manhattan from a wedding at the Crystal Palace, a catering hall at 31-09 Broadway, when the accident occurred. Gormley's, whose blood alcohol level was .20 – twice the legal limit, admitted to drinking four beers the night of the accident, according to the office of Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “Our investigation is continuing and the charges could be upgraded if sustainable evidence of criminal negligence or recklessness is obtained,” Brown said in a statement. The Astoria man was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Tuesday, where Judge Lenora Gerald set bail for $25,000, ordered him to surrender his passport and gave him a return date of April 26. Gormley faces up to four years in prison if convicted, Brown said. Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
