2 children, 4 adults injured in crash in Old Westbury
Two children and four adults were injured in a crash between a truck and a school bus in the afternoon of Jan. 7, according to Old Westbury Police.
The injuries suffered are not serious, according to police. The intersection was shut down for about five hours as crews worked to separate the vehicles and clear the asphalt.
Alberto Lopes, a 66-year-old Freeport man, was driving a dump truck loaded with asphalt westbound on Store Hill Road, approaching a red traffic light, police said.
Police said the truck collided with an SUV and a school bus after going through the intersection on Post Road and Store Hill Road; the load of asphalt spilled onto the road when the dump truck overturned.
Lopes reported that the truck’s brakes were not working as he approached the intersection, police said.
The police said Claudia Rudnet, an Oyster Bay resident, was driving the SUV north on Post Road, crossing over Store Hill, and Sonia Castillo, a 58-year-old Westbury resident, was driving the school bus north on Post Road.
First responders from the Old Westbury Police Department, the Nassau County Police Department, and the State Department of Environmental Conservation responded to the crash.
According to a department representative, the crash caused 30 gallons of diesel fuel to spill. However, the spill will not have an environmental impact.
The children, a 10-year-old boy and girl from the Westbury Union Free School District, Castillo, Maria Barahona, an aide in the district, Rudnet, and Lopes were all injured as a result of the crash, police said.
The two children were transported to Cohen’s Children’s Hospital, Castillo and Barahona to NYU Langone Hospital, and Lopes and Rudnet to Nassau University Medical Center.
According to Old Westbury Police Chief Stuart Cameron, the dump truck is being inspected, and police are investigating whether the brakes failed.
Glen Cove man dies in Riverhead
On Jan. 9, a Glen Cove man was killed in a Riverhead car accident.
The victim was identified as Brandon Roehrig, 41, of Glen Cove, by the Riverhead Police Department.
Police said Roehrig’s vehicle struck a retaining wall of a parking lot at a high speed, and he was identified as deceased upon police arrival.
Glen Head Fire
On Jan. 12, a fire broke out at a residence on High Farms Road in Glen Head, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
The fire, which erupted at 2:15 a.m., caused substantial damage to the house and three vehicles in the driveway. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire, police said.
Police said the Glenwood Fire Department, Nassau County Fire Marshal and Arson Bomb Squad responded to the scene, as did surrounding local fire departments.
Hicksville DWI
A Hicksville woman was arrested on the night of Sunday, Jan. 12, in a DWI case under Leandra’s Law, according to police.
Elizabeth Maldonado, 34, is charged with four counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child passenger less than 16 years (Leandra’s Law), four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, DWI and Aggravated DWI.
Maldonado was driving a 2022 Dodge Durango with the four children in the car after a reported incident occurred at a Mineola restaurant, according to reports.
Maldonado’s husband had informed officers of the dispute, and they had been waiting at their residence when Maldonado arrived in the car. She was determined to be intoxicated after an investigation and arrested without incident, according to police.
Massapequa Crash
Two people were killed in a car crash on the Southern State Parkway in North Massapequa, according to New York State Police.
The accident occurred at roughly 11 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12 at Exit 30S on, according to state police. A 2016 Dodge Dart had crashed into a tree after the driver had lost control of the wheel, police say.
Hailey Dsouza, 21 and Crystal Alba-Figueroa, 23, were identified as the two victims who died in the accident. Jaden Dsouza, 19, and Anthonie Marte, 23, were admitted to the hospital in critical condition, according to published reports.
Jaden Dsouza, the driver, was charged with one count of driving while ability impaired by drugs, second-degree manslaughter, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault and aggravated vehicular homicide, according to state police
The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Collision Reconstruction Unit had responded to the scene to investigate, state police said.
East Meadow Fire
At 10:50 a.m. on Jan. 10, a fire broke out on Cooper Drive in East Meadow, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Police said the second floor of the home was engulfed in flames upon their arrival. There were no occupants at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
County police said the investigation to the cause of the fire is ongoing.
Reporting by Casey Fahrer, Hannah Devlin and Luke Feeney
