A driver lost control and struck two other vehicles on a major Long Island roadway, and police said a former aide to New York Gov Andrew Cuomo and four other people including a 10-year-old boy were killed and six others were injured.
Among those killed was Scott Martella, 29, of Northport, a communications director for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and a former aide to Cuomo.
The accident happened around 9:30 AM yesterday on the Long Island Expressway, near Manorville.
Police said the driver of an eastbound Subaru Outback, Carmelo Pinales, 26, of Hicksville, apparently lost control of his vehicle, crossed the grassy median, went airborne, and struck two westbound vehicles, a BMW and a Honda.
Pinales and his 27-year-old sister, Patricia Pinales, of Westbury, were killed. Carmelo's 10-year-old son, Christopher Pinales, was hospitalised in critical condition, but died of his injuries last night. Two others in the Subaru, including Patricia's 3-year-old daughter, were treated for non-life threatening injuries.
A passenger in the BMW, Isidore Adelson, 81, of Westhampton, succumbed to his injuries late yesterday at a hospital. Three others in the BMW, including Adelson's wife, were also treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Martella, who was driving the Honda, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His 29-year-old fiance, Shelbi Thurau, of Northport, was hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries.
Cuomo said Martella served in his administration for more than four years. He called him a "dedicated, beloved public servant who worked day in and day out to improve the lives of his fellow New Yorkers."
"Scott dedicated his all too brief life to public service and to helping others," Bellone said in a statement. "My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost their lives and suffered injuries in this horrible accident as well as their families."
Suffolk County police said detectives were investigating reports that the driver of the Subaru was speeding.
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