Woman, baby girl killed in collision with school van in Yaphank, Long Island
YAPHANK, N.Y. -- A mother and her infant daughter died after their vehicle collided with a school van Thursday morning on Long Island.
The crash happened at around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Route 101 and the Long Island Expressway service road between exits 65 and 66 in Yaphank.
Suffolk County Police said the victims were in a black four-door sedan traveling north on Route 101 when they collided with a school van that was heading east on the LIE service road.
A woman in her 30s inside the sedan was pronounced dead on the scene. The baby, who was in a car seat in the back, died after being rushed to the hospital with critical injuries.
"When the officer arrived on the scene, the baby was pulled out of the vehicle by a pedestrian. The officer performed CPR, and EMS arrived and removed the child to LICH," Suffolk County Chief of Police Rodney Harrison told reporters.
Police said the 73-year-old school van driver and 61-year-old matron were treated for broken bones and other non-life-threatening injuries. There were no students on board.
"This is an unfortunate situation. We're going to ask for everybody to keep their prayers out for the family. Hopefully the baby recovers from the injuries that she received in the vehicle collision," Harrison said.
"Right away, I start thinking what happened to me," Abdurrahim Kaya said.
Kaya said it's a dangerous intersection, adding someone slammed into his vehicle at the location last year.
"They need to put cameras," Kaya said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.