Car strikes tree trapping driver inside.

Date: 11/12/2012
Time: Around 1:00 P.M.
Location: Grand Island, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Chevy Silverado

By WIVB 4 - Liz Reiman

"GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Accident Investigation Unit is looking into a fatal crash that happened in Grand Island just before 1p.m. Sunday afternoon.
56-year-old Barry Vanderbrook of Grand Island was operating the vehicle when he lost control causing him to leave the road and crash into a pole and tree.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Crews from the Grand Island Fire Company responded to the scene and extricated the driver from the truck.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation"

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School bus careens into building after crash.

Date: 09/20/2012
Time: Around 6:00 A.M.
Location: Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: School bus, Toyota Avalon, unknown

By ABC7 Eyewitness News

"NEW YORK (WABC) -- A school bus collided with a car and ended up slamming into a storefront in Brooklyn early Thursday.

The incident happened around 6:10 a.m. at the intersection of East 21st Street and Church Avenue in Flatbush.

Authorities say the mini school bus was hit from behind by a white four-door Toyota in the middle of the intersection after that driver ran a red ligth. Both vehicles went out of control, sending the bus careening into the building. The car crashed into a parked car.

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Passengers of both vehicles were taken to Kings County Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center with unknown injuries. The bus driver and matron were hurt, but there were no children on the bus at the time.

The buildings department will determine the structural integrity of the building."

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Two Dead, Two Injured in Staten Island Crash.

Date: 08/27/2012
Time: Around 7:00 P.M.
Location: Staten Island, New York City, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ambulance, BMW X3

 By Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo News Editor

"STATEN ISLAND — A BMW collided with an ambulance on Hylan Boulevard and Seacrest Avenue Monday evening, killing both drivers and injuring two others, officials said.

The unidentified driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene in the accident, which occurred just before 7:10 p.m. He drove across the median, struck the ambulance and was thrown from his vehicle, police officials said.

David Restuccio, 58, a paramedic for a privately-operated ambulance for Staten Island University Hospital, was taken to the hospital in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest.

He later died there, hospital spokeswoman Arleen Ryback confirmed.

Restuccio was a lieutenant for FDNY EMS for nearly 20 years before retiring and working as a paramedic for a private company, sources said.

He appears to have been a first responder on Sept. 11, 2001, and was interviewed by Brian Williams on the phone on the day of the attacks.

The other victims, both in stable condition but under evaluation, included another ambulance worker along with a patient being transported from Staten Island University's north side to its south side, Ryback said.

NYPD officials said the incident was under investigation."

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Woman Rushed to Hospital after Cab in Crash Spins onto Sidewalk.

Date: 07/23/2012
Time: Around 7:00 P.M.
Location: Yorkville, Manhattan, New York City, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ford Escape, Ford Crown Victoria

By Jill Colvin, Amy Zimmer

"YORKVILLE — A 28-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital with head trauma after being struck by a taxi that spun onto the sidewalk at the southeast corner of Second Avenue and East 79th Street Monday night, police and witnesses said.
The SUV taxi that hit the woman had first been involved in a crash with a Crown Victoria cab before spinning out of control, witnesses said.
The unidentified woman was taken to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, FDNY officials said. She was stable early Tuesday, an NYPD spokesman said.
Delti Braha, 29, doorman at the Continental Palace, near the intersection, ran outside to help the woman just after hearing the loud boom about 7 p.m.
"She was face down, bleeding," said Braha, who was told by others on the block that she had been standing on the street when the cabs got into the accident.
"[The SUV] slammed into her and she was on the floor," he said. "It's sad."
An NYPD spokesman said there was no criminality was suspected "at this time," and that both drivers remained at the scene.
How the accident occurred was not immediately clear.
Police officers at the intersection said the SUV cab was making a left turn from Second Avenue onto East 79th Street.  One witness said she screamed when she saw the Crown Vic because it was speeding eastward on East 79th Street just before the incident happened.
But the driver of the Crown Vic, who declined to give his name, claimed that the other cab passed a red light while going south on Second Avenue.
"He was running the red light, so he hit the [pedestrian]," the Crown Vic driver, who appeared unharmed, claimed. "I'm really sorry for her friends, for her family, her children, whatever she has. It is stupid. All for $5. …I'm very sad for her. Honest, it's crazy."
Braha said it was not uncommon for cars to go fast at that intersection.
"Everybody speeds up," he said. "They're trying to catch the lights.""

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Three people injured in two-car crash on Route 33.

Date: 10/05/2011
Time: Around 5:00 P.M.
Location: Batavia, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Hyundai Santa Fe, Pontiac Montana

By The Daily News

"BATAVIA — Three people were injured in a two-car crash Wednesday afternoon at Route 33 and Seven Springs Road.

Jonathan C. Pestillo, 17, of Seven Springs Road was driving north on Seven Springs Road approaching Route 33 about 5 p.m. when he failed to stop at the traffic light and proceeded through the intersection, Genesee County sheriff’s deputies said.
Pestillo struck a vehicle traveling west through the intersection on Route 33, deputies said.
Pestillo was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, as was the driver of the second vehicle, 70-year-old Bonnie M. Behage of Ellenton, Fla., and her passenger, 22-year-old Jenna M. Aradine of Bergen.
Their injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
Pestillo was ticketed for failure to obey a traffic signal."

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Car swerves to avoid goose, rolls over.

Date: 08/01/2012
Time: Around 10:00 A.M.
Location: Wilson, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda Civic

By Emily Lenihan

"WILSON, N.Y. (WIVB) - Five people were injured in a Wednesday morning crash, in Wilson.
The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office says a car on Lake Road swerved to avoid a goose, lost control and rolled over into a field.
Five people were injured in the rollover, one of the people suffered serious injuries.
The serious crash happened on Lake Road, at Thilk, just after 10 a.m. Wednesday."

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Driver Crashes Into Tree on Wolf Hill Road.

Date: 07/20/2012
Time: Around 12:00 P.M.
Location: Near Dix Hills, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda Civic

By Peter Walden

"A driver was injured Friday afternoon in crash on Wolf Hill Road in Melville.

The driver of a Honda Civic was traveling South on the road near Saxon Avenue when she lost control of her vehicle and slammed into a tree around noon.
The Melville Fire Department was on the scene for immediate assistance. The driver was then sent to Huntington Hospital with neck and back injuries, as well as lacerations to one leg, police said.
The driver's identity has not been released."

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Rear-ender on Route 98 results in minor injuries.

Date: 09/29/2011
Time: Afternoon
Location: Batavia, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Subaru Forester, Jeep Wrangler

By Geoff Redick - The Batavian


"Two drivers from Holley, Orleans County, collided on Oak Orchard Road/Route 98 in Batavia this afternoon.
Doris Lusk, 78, was operating her Subaru Forester northbound on Route 98 when she slowed to allow another driver to make a left-hand turn into a driveway. Robert Blosenhauer, 63, was also northbound in a Jeep Wrangler and failed to stop. He rammed into the rear of Lusk's vehicle.
Both were able to exit the roadway safely. No serious injuries were reported.
Blosenhauer was charged with failure to yield following too closely.
Trooper Mark Catenzaro responded along with Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS."

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Elba woman killed when car strikes tree on North Byron Road.

Date: 11/08/2011
Time: Around 03:50 P.M.
Location: Elba, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Buick Century

By Howard Owens - The Batavian

"State Police investigators are still uncertain about what caused a car heading westbound on North Byron Road this afternoon to go off the south shoulder and strike a tree on the driver's side.
Impact was right at the driver's seat and the car wrapped around the tree nearly to the point of the passenger's seat.
The driver, (censored), 67, of Elba, was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Robert Yungfleisch.
The accident occurred about a half mile east of Log City Road, Elba.
Trooper John Szymkowiak was first on the scene and said he checked Brown's vitals and did not detect a pulse. He requested Mercy Flight be dispatched to the scene.
An Elba medic arrived minutes later and the medic was also unable to detect a pulse and other vital signs were negative. Mercy Flight was canceled at that point.
The initial call to 9-1-1 was at about 3:50 p.m. by another westbound driver who came over the top of a hill, just east of the accident location, and saw the car strike the tree.
The witness did not see enough prior to impact to help provide information on what caused Brown's car to go off the road.
Szymkowiak said it appeared Brown started to go off the road about 100 feet prior to impact with the tree and there were some signs of braking on the road surface.
"The cause is still under investigation," Szymkowiak said. "It could have been a medical issue. It could have been a deer in the roadway. We are looking at several things right now."
An autopsy will be completed to try and determine if the cause was medical."

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Two-car, head-on collision with serious injuries on Indian Falls Road.

Date: 07/07/2011
Time: Around 5:00 P.M.
Location: Pembroke, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Chevy Blazer, Chevy Silverado

By Billie Owens - The Batavian

"A two-car, head-on collision accident is reported on Indian Falls Road in the area of Pratt Road. Both drivers will need extrication. One of them is unresponsive and has three minors as passengers.
East Pembroke Fire Department is responding, along with mutual aid from Pembroke and Indian Falls, plus two Mercy EMS units. Two Mercy Flight helicopters are called in and a landing zone is being set up on the corner of Pratt and Indian Falls roads.
An Oakfield medic is on scene and a rig out of Oakfield is called to respond, too. Corfu Fire Police are called to handle traffic control and to shut down Indian Falls Road.
UPDATE 5:21 p.m.: A third Mercy Flight helicopter is called for, and is available, but a crew needs to be assembled. They are working to do that and will advise.
UPDATE 5:22 p.m.: The first helicopter is on the ground. Indian Falls at Route 5 is being closed to traffic.
UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: A second landing zone is being set up north of the scene, on the southeast corner of Indian Falls and Cleveland roads.
UPDATE 5:27 p.m.: A third helicopter has secured a crew and is 15 minutes away.
UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: A third landing zone is being set up at Kilian and Slusser roads.
UPDATE 5:33 p.m.: The second helicopter has landed, but not at the site originally designated. It's at Pratt and Indian Falls roads, where the first helicopter landed.
UPDATE 5:37: "Mercy Flight is advising they have a fourth helicopter if Squad 2 can ride on it."
UPDATE 5:38 p.m.: A fourth helicopter will not be needed.
UPDATE 5:41 p.m.: All patients have been extricated.
UPDATE 5:43 p.m.: Oakfield medics are en route to UMMC with two small children on board.
UPDATE 5:46 p.m.: The last helicopter has landed. The first chopper is headed to Women & Children's Hospital in Buffalo.
UPDATE 5:56 p.m.: The second helicopter is headed to Erie County Medical Center.
UPDATE 6 p.m.: The last helicopter is headed to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester at the patient's request.
UPDATE 7:48 p.m.: All East Pembroke units back in service. The road is reopened.
UPDATE 10:11 p.m.: A caller has told dispatchers that a television news crew is setting up in the area of the accident with very bright lights, "blinding drivers." A deputy is responding."

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Head-on collision at Route 20 and Roanoke Road, Pavilion.

Date: 06/17/2012
Time: Afternoon
Location: Pavilion, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Chevy Cavalier, Mercedes-Benz S320

By Billie Owens - The Batavian

"A two-car head-on collision with at least one injury, unknown severity, is reported at Route 20 and Roanoke Road. Pavilion Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding. They are checking the availability of Mercy Flight.
UPDATE 1:16 p.m.: Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia is put on ground standby.
UPDATE 1:19 p.m.: A female is injured and will require extrication. She is alert. Le Roy fire is also called. Mercy Flight is launching.
UPDATE 1:21 p.m.: Mercy Flight is on in-air standby.
UPDATE 1:25 p.m.: The driver of the second vehicle is alert. No word on injuries. Mercy Flight is called to the scene and will land in a freshly cut hay field south of the incident.
UPDATE 1:29 p.m.: The accident is not blocking traffic, but the roadway is shut down to handle the emergency. A State Trooper is on scene. Two flatbed tows are called.
UPDATE 1:40 p.m.: The patient has been extricated.
UPDATE 1:44 p.m.: Le Roy is back in service.
UPDATE 1:55 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne, heading to Strong Memorial Hospital.
UPDATE 1:58 p.m.: Pavilion and Mercy EMS are back in service."

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Cops: 4 injured as teen flees.

Date: 06/29/2012
Time: Morning
Location: Greenport, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Chevy Malibu, Dodge Ram Wagon, Chevy Express

By Dennis Yusko TimesUnion News

"GREENPORT — Four people were hospitalized Friday morning after a 15-year-old runaway from a Columbia County youth facility struck two oncoming vehicles while trying to elude police in a van he acquired, police said.
Troopers in Livingston were still investigating how the teen, who was wanted by the county sheriff's department, obtained keys to a white van that he took for a ride about 11:12 p.m. Thursday. Troopers identified the teen as a runaway from the Berkshire Farms youth facility and said he was taken into custody after a more than five-hour manhunt.
Police did not release his name because of his age.
The incident started, according to State Police, when troopers tried to stop the white van for weaving on Route 23 in Claverack. The driver accelerated through a red light, narrowly missing a vehicle, and onto Route 23B, police said. With police in pursuit for about two miles, they said, the van driver lost control of the vehicle. The van crossed the road's center line, struck two oncoming vehicles and rolled over, State Police said. The 15-year-old fled the scene on foot, suffering only minor abrasions, police said.
Four injured people from the two other vehicles were taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital, police said. One of them appeared to have suffered serious injuries, Sgt. Craig Guy said in an interview. He could not provide medical conditions for the victims.
State Police used bloodhounds to locate the 15-year-old after he left the scene of the accident. They were assisted by several area police and fire departments, the county Sheriff's Office and Northern Dutchess Paramedics. Police found the teen in his grandmother's garage, not far from the scene, about 4:45 a.m. Friday, Guy said. The teen was wanted by the sheriff's department on a previous juvenile warrant issued by a county Family Court judge, police said.
Police were investigating if the teenager got the van from an acquaintance, Guy said.
The teen was evaluated at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson, Guy said. He was expected to be charged as a juvenile in Family Court, with charges including two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree unlawfully fleeing a police officer. Alcohol or drugs did not appear to be contributing factors, State Police said."

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Crash In Water Mill Snarls Traffic Friday Morning.

Date: 06/22/2012
Time: Around 09:30 A.M.
Location: Water Mill, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Box truck, GMC Sierra 1500

By The Southampton Press

"Westbound traffic on Montauk Highway in Water Mill was backed up for more than 2 miles on Friday morning following a crash involving a car, an ice cream truck and meat delivery truck.

One of the truck drivers sustained minor injuries to his face and head and was taken to Southampton Hospital by Southampton Volunteer Ambulance.
The chain reaction accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. on Friday and appeared to involve three vehicles each smashing into the back of each other. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The ice cream truck suffered heavy damage to both its front and rear. The meat delivery truck, whose driver was the only person injured, sustained heavy front end damage.
Firefighters and fire police standing by in the already sweltering heat were rewarded with ice cream bars from the smashed truck."

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One Person Injured in Malverne Crash.

Date: 11/25/2011
Time: Morning
Location: Malverne, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Volkswagen Jetta, Ford F-350

By Lou Minutoli

"One person needed to be transported to the hospital after this two-car collision at the corner of Dogwood Avenue and Atlas Avenue in Malverne late Friday morning.

The intersection is controlled by stop signs in only one direction and Malverne Police were investigating whether or not this fact played a role in the accident.
The Malverne Ambulance Corp and Malverne Fire Department also responded to the scene."

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Driver Seriously Injured After Car Slams Into Bus.

Date: 05/25/2012
Time: Afternoon
Location: West Hempstead, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Bus, Kia Optima

By Lou Minutoli

"A woman was seriously injured Friday afternoon when her car plowed into the rear of a public bus that was stopped on Woodfield Road in West Hempstead.
The NICE bus, which was carrying roughly 15 passengers aboard, was stopped at the corner of Elm Street when the sedan slammed into the rear. According to one source at the scene, the woman may have been texting while driving when the accident occurred.
A male driver stopped by the Lakeview firehouse on Woodfield Road to report the accident, according to Lakeview Fire Chief Heather Senti. Upon investigation, Lakeview firefighters headed to the scene, where they found the vehicle and notified the West Hempstead Fire Department, as this section of Woodfield Road is located in West Hempstead's fire district. They responded with their ambulance as did Nassau County Police, and attended to the injured driver.
Traffic on the busy street was shut down in both directions as police investigate the accident."


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Woman Arrested for DWI After Car Crashes Through House, Lands in Backyard.

Date: 05/28/2012
Time: Around 4:00 A.M.
Location: Huntington, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Mercedes-Benz CLK 320

By 4NBC New York

"A Brooklyn woman was arrested for drunk driving after her Mercedes crashed into a Long Island house, apparently plowing through the kitchen and landing in the backyard.

Suffolk County police say the car ended up in the backyard of the house on Browns Road in Huntington at about 4 a.m. Monday. She was arraigned Tuesday.

A 90-year-old woman and her caretaker were in the house, but were not hurt.

Police say the driver, Sophia Anderson, 21, failed to turn at the Southdown Road T-section.

There were downed trees and what appeared to be tire tracks in the yard after what neighbors said was a noisy crash that woke them up.

"In order for the car, I think, to go through the house into the backyard, it must have been going at a pretty fast clip," said the woman who lives across the street.

Her bail was set at $50,000. Her lawyer, John Loturco, asked for $2,500.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York"

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Seven killed in New York crash.

Date: 04/29/2012
Time: Around 12:30 P.M.
Location: Bronx, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda Pilot

By VERENA DOBNIK /Associated Press

"NEW YORK — An out-of-control van careened across several lanes of traffic on a New York City highway Sunday, then plunged more than 50 feet off the side of the road and landed in a ravine on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo, killing all seven people aboard, authorities said.

The van was headed south when it bounced off the median, crossed all southbound lanes over to the guardrail and off the side of the road, police said. It landed nearly upside down on zoo property that's closed to the public and far from any animal exhibits, zoo spokeswoman Mary Dixon said. The vehicle lay mangled hours later, its right doors ripped off and strewn amid the trees along with items from the car.

 It's not clear what caused the van to go out of control. The southbound side of the highway was closed briefly Sunday afternoon while police investigated.

The victims were an 84-year-old man; three women, ages 80, 45 and 30; two girls, ages 12 and 10, and a younger girl whose age wasn't immediately known, fire department spokesman Jim Long said. He didn't name them.

The accident was the second in the past year where a car fell off the same stretch of the Bronx River Parkway. Last June, the driver of a sport utility vehicle heading north lost control and the SUV hit a divider, bounced through two lanes of traffic and fell 20 feet over a guardrail, landing on a pickup truck in a parking lot. The two people in the SUV were injured.

City agencies will be asked to look at safety issues on the highway including guardrail height, Bronx borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said in a statement Sunday.

"My prayers, as well as those of my office and all Bronxites, go out to the families of the seven victims," he said."

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Police: Teen Driver in Fatal Crash Was Drunk.

Date: 11/29/2011
Time: Around 05:35 A.M.
Location: West Hempstead, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda Civic, Hyundai Santa Fe

By LISA EVERS

"MYFOXNY.COM - Police on Long Island said that an 18-year-old driver was drunk when she lost control of her car at an intersection and crashed into a brick wall. She hit the wall with so much force that her passenger was killed.
Authorities charged Daritza Lopez, 18, of Uniondale, with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and unlicensed operator.
The compact car ended up lodged in the wall of a furniture store. That made it difficult for first responders to rescue Lopez and her passenger, who died at the scene.
Police said the intoxicated and unlicensed teenager behind the wheel sideswiped a parked car on Hempstead Turnpike and then lost control of her vehicle.
Building inspectors determined that the wall was in danger of collapse so they ordered the furniture store to be shut down until it could be shored up."

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