In Levittown, Long Island, a crash involving several cars resulted in two fatalities and a child being critically injured.
The fatal auto accident occurred shortly after 11:00 p.m. on the night of Tuesday, June 14. According to police, the accident involved five vehicles that were in the lanes going in the southern direction on the Wantaugh State Parkway between exits W3 and W4.
The car accident occurred when 33-year-old Reina Olivera, who was driving a Nissan Murano, reportedly struck a Honda CRV being operated by 50-year-old Ana Ramirez. After the collision, both vehicles remained in the left lane on the New York highway. Olivera and a passenger in the Honda named Nicolas Ramirez, age 61, then got out of their vehicles and were standing in the left lane, where they exchanged information. During the conversation, Olivera was holding her three-year-old daughter.
Around this time, 41-year-old Michael Martino, who was driving a Toyota Corolla, allegedly encountered the vehicles that had stopped in the left lanes on the highway. Police said that when Martino reduced his speed, he was struck in the rear by a Honda Accord operated by 20-year-old Marbin Velasquez. The Accord then reportedly struck Olivera, Ramirez and the child. Ramirez was propelled into the lanes headed in the northern direction, where he was then reportedly hit by a Jeep Wrangler driven by James Maney.
Tragically, Ramirez died at the scene. Olivera died shortly afterwards after being rushed to Nassau University Medical Center. Olivera’s daughter was also taken to the hospital, where doctors treated her for serious accident-related injuries. Her condition was later listed as critical. Meanwhile, Maney’s injuries included facial lacerations.
It appears as though criminal charges will not be filed in the case, but the accident investigation is continuing. A similar incident occurred on the Long Island Expressway (LIE) a few weeks ago when a car operated by an off-duty NYPD officer crashed into two young people who had exited their vehicle after it broke down. Additionally, yet another incident like this happened in Orange County in June when three people, including a child, were struck and killed by a truck while they were standing on the side of I-84 after their car ran out of gas. According to safety experts and law enforcement, if you have to exit your car following an accident, it is important that you do not place yourself in harm’s way.
Although there have been no criminal charges filed as a result of this most recent fatal accident in Long Island, NY, there may well be civil charges against any motorist who was perceived to have been negligent in the operation of a vehicle that crashed into and killed the victims. If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, call the personal injury attorneys at Proner and Proner today for a free consultation.
