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UPDATE:Eight dead in fiery NY car wreck
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5-year-old crash survivor critical; driver identified
[link to www.poughkeepsiejournal.com]
BRIARCLIFF — A 5-year-old boy who lost his mother, his sister and three cousins to a fiery wrong-way crash on the Taconic State Parkway yesterday that also killed three people from Yonkers is recovering in critical condition this morning, police said.
Diane Schuler, 36, of West Babylon was driving two of her own children and three of her nieces home in a minivan about 1:30 p.m. yesterday when she entered the northbound Taconic going the wrong way, causing what amounts to the worst crash in Westchester County in 75 years.
Police will release more details at a press conference at 11 a.m. today.
The people killed in the other car from Yonkers were Guy Bastardi, 49, and his 81-year-old father, Michael Bastardi, and a friend Daniel Longo, police said.
"I've been with the state police for 24 years and I've never investigated anything so horrific, especially the fact that four young lives were lost," state police Investigator Joseph Becerra said.
The accident was the second wrong-way accident on the Taconic on Sunday after a two-car crash in Kent earlier in the day left five hurt.
Traffic on the Taconic Parkway was back to normal by 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Autopsies on the victims are scheduled for today. The four children who died were ages 2, 5, 7 and 9.
According to state police, a Long Island family in a red Ford Aerostar minivan was heading the wrong way in the northbound lanes of the Parkway around 1:35 p.m., carrying five children, when it crashed head-on into a Chevy Trailblazer SUV carrying three people from Yonkers.
Becerra said it is believed the minivan then careened into a Chevy Tracker carrying two people. That's when the impact from the second crash caused the minivan to roll down an embankment, toss several children out of the car and burst into flames, he added.
Passers-by stop to assist
Peter Deduvaj of Yonkers was heading north on the Taconic Parkway to visit his uncle in Mahopac. He was among the eight or so drivers who immediately pulled over to help.
Hawthorne fire Chief Joe LaGrippo and his unit were first on the scene to find the minivan engulfed in flames, including the female driver. Emergency personnel immediately blocked off the roadway and were able to rescue one of the children trapped in the burning vehicle.
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"The work our men did today (Sunday) was phenomenal," LaGrippo said. "I've been in the business a long time and this is some of the best work I've ever seen."
The driver and four of the children in the minivan died at the scene.
The minivan's driver was the mother of the surviving child, and the other children were her nieces and her daughter, Becerra said.
Three adults in the SUV were also pronounced dead at the scene. The two people inside the Tracker suffered minor injuries and were taken to Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow.
Why the minivan was driving the wrong way on the parkway is unclear, as state police Capt. Michael Realmuto said the case is still under investigation. Weather conditions on the road Sunday were normal and police said they did not want to speculate on what could have caused the crash. Accident reconstruction teams from state police were at the scene piecing the case together. Police said they should have more details about the crash today.
The charred gray frame of the minivan sat perpendicular on the embankment for hours as several drivers in the southbound lane of the Taconic Parkway cupped their hands over their mouth in shock upon witnessing the accident. Several bright-colored articles of clothing from the minivan were dispersed along the grass.
The SUV was draped in white sheets as emergency personnel hauled away bodies from the scene on stretchers.
Police blocked off the Saw Mill River Parkway entrance to the Taconic for several hours as traffic backed up for several miles.
"The work our men did today (Sunday) was phenomenal," LaGrippo said. "I've been in the business a long time and this is some of the best work I've ever seen."
The driver and four of the children in the minivan died at the scene.
The minivan's driver was the mother of the surviving child, and the other children were her nieces and her daughter, Becerra said.
Three adults in the SUV were also pronounced dead at the scene. The two people inside the Tracker suffered minor injuries and were taken to Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow.
Why the minivan was driving the wrong way on the parkway is unclear, as state police Capt. Michael Realmuto said the case is still under investigation. Weather conditions on the road Sunday were normal and police said they did not want to speculate on what could have caused the crash. Accident reconstruction teams from state police were at the scene piecing the case together. Police said they should have more details about the crash today.
The charred gray frame of the minivan sat perpendicular on the embankment for hours as several drivers in the southbound lane of the Taconic Parkway cupped their hands over their mouth in shock upon witnessing the accident. Several bright-colored articles of clothing from the minivan were dispersed along the grass.
The SUV was draped in white sheets as emergency personnel hauled away bodies from the scene on stretchers.
Police blocked off the Saw Mill River Parkway entrance to the Taconic for several hours as traffic backed up for several miles.
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