On Monday, February 2nd at 7:46am the Riverhead Fire Department responded to a reported Signal-23, heavy rescue, at the intersection of County Route 51 (Center Drive) and County Route 63 (Lake Avenue). Upon arrival we found that a Southbound transit bus had hit a car on the drivers side. There was one male victim in the car. All RFD units were released at 9:53am.
FROM LONG ISLAND NEWSDAY:
ONE KILLED, 9 HURT IN BUS CRASH NEAR HAMPTONS
A Suffolk Transit bus slammed into a car that ran a stop sign at an intersection in Riverside , a small community in Southampton Town, Tuesday morning, killing the car's driver and injuring 14 on the bus, none seriously, officials said.
The intersection of county roads 51 and 63 was also the scene of a deadly accident in 2002, when a man driving in a funeral procession ran a stop sign and was hit by another car, killing him.
The S66 bus between Patchogue and Riverhead was carrying 14 passengers and the driver, John Bravata, 56, of Ronkonkoma, Suffolk County spokesman Mark Smith said.
He said the bus had just left the Suffolk Community College Riverhead campus and was headed north on County Road 51 when the crash occurred at about 7:40 a.m.
Police pronounced Michael Brown, 21, of Greenport , dead at the scene. According to police, Brown, who was driving a 2000 Ford Focus , ran a stop sign and was struck by the bus. Brown's family declined to comment on the events.
Police said all 14 occupants from the bus were taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center and Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, though police said at the scene and in a later statement that there were no serious injuries.
The road was closed in both directions between Pine and Speonk-River Road, just north of the college campus for about four hours as police conducted an investigation, officials said.
Police said no charges are pending, but an investigation of the accident is ongoing.
Earlier Tuesday, investigators had put up yellow tape at the scene of the accident, where Brown's badly damaged blue car sat on the shoulder, its driver's side door smashed in. The bus was on the median, its windshield broken.
In the 2002 crash, the driver in the funeral procession in Riverside was killed and two of his passengers hospitalized after he failed to yield the right-of-way at an intersection and his car was struck by another vehicle, Southampton Town police said.
Part of the funeral procession continued on to the burial, unaware of the accident.
With Yamiche Alcindor and Mitchell Freedman
www.newsday.com
FROM RIVERHEAD NEWS-REVIEW:
VICTIM IN FATAL CRASH IDENTIFIED AS GREENPORT MAN Driver was struck by a county bus
A 21-year-old Greenport man was killed Tuesday morning after his car was broadsided by a Suffolk Transit bus that was headed north on Route 51 in Northampton.
Police say Michael Brown was driving a 2000 Ford Focus south on Route 63 near Wildwood Lake Bowl about 7:40 a.m. when he entered the intersection with Route 51 and was struck by the bus, which was being driven by John Bravata, 56, of Ronkonkoma. Mr. Brown died at the scene.
Scott Loper of Mattituck, who was on his way to class at Suffolk County Community College, was several cars behind Mr. Brown, waiting to merge with Route 51's southbound lanes when the crash happened.
Mr. Loper said Mr. Brown had attempted to make a right onto Route 51 when the bus, which he estimated was traveling at least 50 mph, hit him.
Mr. Loper said that the cars in front of him stopped and a few people began dialing 911. "People were just sitting at the stop sign because they didn't know what to do," he said.
There were 15 people on the bus including the driver, none of whom were seriously injured. The passengers were taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead and Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in E. Patchogue.
The bus was impounded for inspection by Suffolk County Police and the New York State Department of Transportation. The Ford was impounded by Southampton Town Police for further investigation.
Route 51 was closed for about four hours during the investigation.
No charges have been filed.
www.timesreview.com
News helicopter photo of crash site.
photo courtesy www.myfoxny.com
Southampton Town PD inspect the wreckage.
photo courtesy www.newsday.com
Riverhead firefighters assist at the scene. photo courtesy www.newsday.com
Investigators survey the scene. photo courtesy www.newsday.com
