Tags Posts tagged with "Crash"

Crash

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A pedestrian was killed while walking in the lanes of a busy Long Island road Sunday night.

The Suffolk County Police Department said 36-year-old Christopher Noselli was walking in Veterans Memorial Highway’s eastbound lanes near Old Townline Road around 9:20 p.m. when he was hit by a car that was traveling east.

Noselli was pronounced dead at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, police said. The driver, a 25-year-old Smithtown woman, was not hurt.

Police impounded the car, a 2006 Nissan Murano, for a safety check.

Detectives from the SCPD’s 4th Squad are investigating the incident. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call them at 631-854-8452.

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An SUV overturned in a wooded area in Port Jefferson Station early on Sunday morning, killing the driver.

The Suffolk County Police Department said the man was heading south on Route 112 in a gray 2004 Ford Explorer, near Washington Avenue, at about 4:20 a.m. when he lost control of the vehicle. He crossed over into the northbound side of the road, then left the roadway and overturned in a wooded area.

A physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner pronounced him dead at the scene, police said.

Police did not immediately identify the driver, as his next of kin had not yet been notified.

The SCPD impounded the Explorer for a safety check.

Detectives from the 6th Squad are investigating the single-car crash. Anyone who may have witnessed it is asked to call them at 631-854-8652.

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A motorcyclist was seriously injured early on Saturday morning when an SUV hit him as he was lying in the road.

The Suffolk County Police Department said 31-year-old Flushing resident James Dang lost control of his bike, a 2004 Suzuki, while riding north at about 1:35 a.m. on Moriches Road in Lake Grove, just south of Jericho Turnpike. He was lying in the road when a dark-colored SUV struck him and then fled the scene.

Dang was treated at Stony Brook University Hospital for serious injuries, police said.

Detectives from the SCPD’s 4th Squad are investigating the crash. Anyone who may have witnessed it is asked to call them at 631-854-8452 or to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-220-TIPS.

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A pedestrian was seriously injured in Huntington Station on Wednesday night as he tried to cross Jericho Turnpike.

The Suffolk County Police Department said 15-year-old Carlos Veliz-Hernandez was trying to cross the busy turnpike in his hometown, just west of Melville Road, when he was hit by a 2008 BMW at 9:15 p.m.

Carlos was in serious condition at Stony Brook University Hospital, police said, while the BMW’s 56-year-old driver, a Huntington Station resident, was not hurt.

Police impounded the BMW for safety checks.

Detectives from the SCPD’s 2nd Squad are investigating the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call them at 631-854-8252.

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A makeshift memorial is erected at the scene of the fatal Cutchogue crash. Photo by Phil Corso

Tragedy hit close to home over the weekend — countless lives were shattered when an alleged drunk driver slammed into a limousine carrying a group of eight young women, killing four who hailed from our own North Shore communities.

Saturday’s Cutchogue crash captivated communities near and far. Those who knew the women, and even those who didn’t, mourned, as the crash sent shock waves across the Island.

Brittney Schulman, Lauren Baruch, Stephanie Belli and Amy Grabina were friends, daughters, girlfriends, sisters and young women just starting their adult lives. Tragic doesn’t even begin to explain what happened on that Cutchogue road.

But the women weren’t alone, and the surviving four women, who remain hospitalized as of Monday, need our support.

At a press conference on Monday, Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota told a crowd of reporters, many of whom came from affiliate stations and out-of-town papers, to be reasonable, in light of a recent incident in which a member of the press entered the hospital in an attempt to see one of the survivors.

“We have four who survived, who certainly have suffered horrible, horrible trauma,” Spota said. “Not only bodily trauma, but certainly mentally. And we have people — reporters — who are trying to sneak in to talk to these young women. I just think that we really should — let’s all think about it and let’s be reasonable here.”

We find these actions disrespectful to the victims and survivors and their families and do not stand behind them. As journalists, we understand the responsibility news organizations have to inform the public about events such as this, but sneaking into a hospital room is excessive, and it is not right to serve a readership at a victim’s expense.

As a community newspaper, we are protective of the neighborhoods we cover because we live here. When we get word of car crashes, many of us have to wonder if a loved one was involved. What happened on Saturday could have happened to any one of us.

To the women recovering, the families affected and the communities trying to come to terms with these losses, we will still be here to listen if and whenever you are ready to speak. Our thoughts are with you.

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A man was killed in Selden on Monday evening when his car collided with a Suffolk County Transit bus.

The Suffolk County Police Department said 20-year-old Zachary Rauso was driving south on Dare Road shortly before 6 p.m. when he crashed with the bus, which had been traveling in the opposite direction.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

A physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner pronounced Rauso, a Selden resident, dead at the scene.

The bus was carrying just one passenger at the time of the crash, police said. Both that passenger and the 52-year-old bus driver were treated for minor injuries at Stony Brook University Hospital.

Police impounded Rauso’s car, a 1999 Mercury, for a safety check, while the SCPD’s Highway Patrol Motor Carrier Safety Section inspected the bus and towed it away from the scene.

Detectives from the 6th Squad are investigating the collision, including its cause.

Anyone who witnessed the crash and has not yet been interviewed by police is asked to call the detectives at 631-854-8652.

From left, Amy Grabina, Brittany Schulman, Lauren Baruch and Stephanie Belli. Photos from Facebook

By Phil Corso

A risky U-turn in Cutchogue has left the greater Smithtown community directionless.

From left, Amy Grabina, Brittany Schulman, Lauren Baruch and Stephanie Belli. Photos from Facebook
From left, Amy Grabina, Brittney Schulman, Lauren Baruch and Stephanie Belli. Photos from Facebook

A limousine filled with friends doing the right thing fell victim to a driver who was doing the wrong thing when Steven Romeo, 55, was driving his red pickup truck in Cutchogue allegedly under the influence of alcohol and collided with the limousine as it attempted to make a U-turn near the intersection of Depot Lane and County Route 48, killing four and injuring six, including Romeo, Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota said.

Emergency responders reported four victims dead on arrival, including Smithtown’s Brittney Schulman, 23, and Lauren Baruch, 24, as well as Stephanie Belli, 23, of Kings Park, and Amy Grabina, 23, of Commack. The crash also injured driver Carlos Pino, 58, of Bethpage, Joelle Dimonte, 25, of Elwood, Melissa Angela Crai, 23, of Scarsdale, Alicia Arundel, 24, of Setauket, and Olga Lipets, 24, of Brooklyn, all of whom were still hospitalized on Monday, Spota said.

Romeo was arraigned on Sunday at Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport due to injuries sustained in the crash and pleaded not guilty to one count of driving while intoxicated. He was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 cash bail or $1 million bond, Spota said.

Spota provided more details on the accident at a press conference in Southold on Monday afternoon alongside Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley, who was on the scene soon after the collision.

“This was a gathering of young women who were behaving responsibly by hiring a limo for the day, enjoying the North Fork vineyards together,” Spota said. “They knew they would be consuming some alcohol, and because they wanted to act responsibly, they did not choose to drive.”

Spota said the limousine kicked off its Saturday afternoon bachelorette party trip at Baruch’s home in Smithtown, embarking on a vineyard tour on the eastern part of Long Island, stopping at the Long Island Vodka distillery in Baiting Hollow and then Vineyard 48 in Cutchogue. They were on their way back to Smithtown when the driver of the limousine, who Spota said was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, made the turn and the fatal accident occurred.

The news sent shockwaves through Smithtown and the entire North Shore, moving Smithtown Supervisor Pat Vecchio (R) to order all flags at town buildings to fly at half-mast.

DA Tom Spota speaks about an alleged DWI that killed four women at a bachelorette party. Photo by Phil Corso
DA Tom Spota speaks about an alleged DWI that killed four women at a bachelorette party. Photo by Phil Corso

“The entire Smithtown community is affected by such a tragic loss and mourns deeply,” Vecchio said in a statement. “The shock of the loss of four young and beautiful women in the prime of life is difficult to comprehend. We pray for the families and friends who are suffering so.”

Belli, Baruch and Schulman were all decorated members of the national and language honor societies by the time they graduated from Smithtown High School West and were remembered Monday as shining lights in their graduating classes. Schools Superintendent James Grossane said Belli, a 2010 graduate, had an infectious smile and was an enthusiastic student and member of the district’s championship kick line team. Baruch, a 2009 graduate, was best known for her booming laugh and unforgettable smile, Grossane said. Schulman, he said, was another 2010 graduate and had a profound love for her family.

“The Smithtown School District administration, Board of Education, staff and school community are truly saddened over the horrific tragedy involving the deaths of three former High School West graduates,” Grossane said. “Although these girls graduated from the district several years ago, their personalities and memories they left behind are still remembered by those who had the honor and pleasure of knowing them while in school.”

Grabina graduated in 2010 from Commack High School and went on to pursue accounting at Florida State University, ultimately landing a job at Ernst & Young in Tallahassee, Florida. Brenda Lentsch, a spokeswoman for Commack High School, said in a statement the loss was difficult to put into words.

“This terrible tragedy affects our entire community, and all who knew them,” she said. “We send our heartfelt sympathies to their parents, family and friends. The Commack community always rallies around those in need.”

She and her former classmate Arundel were in the limo on Saturday, but only the latter made it out alive.

Both the speed of Romeo’s vehicle and his blood alcohol content were still not known, pending results as per the investigation, the DA said. Spota did say, however, that the man had admitted to drinking beer that afternoon before the crash.

Flatley, who responded to the crash soon after it was dispatched around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, said Romeo remained at the scene for about 15 minutes following the collision, but then took off on foot and jumped a fence before police were able to retrieve him for questioning. The police chief said a witness was able to help provide details regarding the limousine accident, which has become all too common for that area.

“Over the last two or three years, we’ve had issues with limousines making very difficult turns at that intersection and we have been writing summonses for failing to yield the right-of-way to vehicles that are in the westbound direction at that intersection,” he said. “I’m sure we write at least, especially during the busier months, at least 10 or 12 summonses a month.”

Spota said Romeo, who will be processed at the Southold Police Department upon his release from the hospital, had not acquired any DWI-related charges before Saturday’s crash. No information on the possibility of additional charges was provided.

The horrific tragedy occurred just six days after another accident allegedly linked to driving while intoxicated, Spota said. Last week, another fatal crash on the Southern State Parkway killed 37-year-old Ancio Ostane, his 8-year-old son, Andy, and his 4-year-old daughter, Sephora, in what police charged as another alcohol-related hit-and-run accident.

Suffolk County police car. File photo

A bicyclist collided with a Jeep in Huntington on Thursday afternoon, seriously injuring the rider.

The Suffolk County Police Department said the bicyclist, 54-year-old Huntington Station resident Paul McQueen, was riding north on Park Avenue, just past Dix Hills Road, when he turned into the path of a 2000 Jeep.

McQueen was in serious condition at Huntington Hospital after he was struck, police said. The 75-year-old Jeep driver was not hurt.

Police impounded the Jeep for a safety check.

Detectives from the SCPD’s 2nd Squad are investigating the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call them at 631-854-8252.

Nicolls Road. File photo by Rachel Shapiro

A man was seriously injured in Centereach on Wednesday afternoon when he lost control of his SUV and was ejected during a crash.

The Suffolk County Police Department said 35-year-old Michael Negron was driving north on Nicolls Road when he lost control of the 1997 Ford Explorer and hit a guardrail. From there, the car entered the median and overturned onto the southbound side of the road.

Police said Negron was ejected from the Ford.

The Bellport resident was listed in serious condition at Stony Brook University Hospital, police said.

There were no other passengers in the vehicle.

Police impounded the Explorer for a safety check. Detectives from the SCPD’s 6th Squad are investigating the crash.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or have information about it is asked to call detectives at 631-854-8652.

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A 7-year-old girl’s skull was fractured on Monday night when a driver, who was allegedly on drugs, crashed into a minivan in Hauppauge.

The Suffolk County Police Department said the incident occurred around 7:15 p.m., when 21-year-old Brandon Cumberbatch was driving south on Route 111 just past Kings Highway and hit the minivan, which was moving in the same direction. Inside the minivan were 40-year-old driver Arunima Singh and her two children, 18-year-old Avaneesh and 7-year-old Bhaswi.

After striking the van, police said, Cumberbatch, a Ridge resident, then veered onto the shoulder, over the curb and into the Hauppauge Plaza parking lot, where he hit a parked, unoccupied vehicle.

The family was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, police said, where Arunima and Avaneesh Singh were treated for minor injuries and Bhaswi was listed in serious condition with a fractured skull and facial injuries.

Police arrested Cumberbatch and charged him with driving while impaired by drugs. He was under observation at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown and will be arraigned at a later date.

Attorney information for Cumberbatch was not immediately available.

Police impounded both the defendant’s vehicle, a 2002 Chevy Impala, and the 2008 Toyota minivan for safety checks.

Detectives from the SCPD Vehicular Crime Unit are investigating the crash.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call the detectives at 631-852-6555.