Madison Faltisco was a 22-year-old woman who had a bright future ahead of her. She was outgoing, fun, generous, and hard-working. She loved dancing, media, and waitressing. She was fiercely independent and responsible. She was the life of the party. Sadly her life was cut short on June 8, 2023, when she was killed by an allegedly drunk co-worker in a hit-and-run accident in Clay, New York.
According to authorities, Faltisco had been bar hopping with Joshua Schiano, a 23-year-old co-worker at Smokey Bones restaurant, on Thursday night. Around 10:30 p.m., she refused to get into his car because she was worried about his intoxication level. She decided to walk home instead.
She started walking down Oswego Road and made it just past an intersection before Schiano hit her with his car and kept driving. He did not tell anyone that he had hit her. Within two minutes of striking Faltisco, Schiano got into another crash less than a mile away, hitting a store sign and items outside a Salvation Army thrift store. His car caught fire and someone pulled him out before police arrived.
Faltisco’s body was not discovered until 5 a.m. the next day by a passerby. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Schiano was charged with three felonies: second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday night. Faltisco’s family and friends are devastated by her loss. They have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her burial costs.
On the GoFundMe page is an emotional message that reads, My beloved niece, Madison Faltisco, was struck and killed by a drunk driver on Thursday, June 8, 2023 She was only 22. Her bright light was extinguished in seconds. Her family is living a nightmare, preparing to bury their beautiful daughter and sister. This was obviously an unexpected expense, and it’s pretty overwhelming. We want to offer everyone the opportunity to bless this family. They are not expecting it, but it would help lift an enormous burden at this awful time. Thank you for keeping them all in your prayers”.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drunk driving is the second-leading cause of fatal car crashes in the United States, next only to speeding. Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 39 minutes.
In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths — a 14% increase from 2020. The exact number of drunk driving related deaths in 2022 is not yet available, but preliminary estimates show that there will be 20,160 deaths due to impaired driving and speeding. This is an 18.4% increase over 2019, and a higher rate than Canada. Drunk driving is the No. 1 killer on the nation’s roads and accounts for over 10,000 lives lost annually on average.
