Police: Head-On Crash Leaves 4 Dead In Yaphank
YAPHANK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Four people are dead and two others are injured after a head-on crash on Long Island.
The wreck happened just after 10:45 p.m. Monday in Yaphank. Police said 25-year-old Gustave Geyer was in a pickup truck when he lost control and slammed into a sedan traveling in the opposite direction on Yaphank Middle Island Road.
"He was described as operating in a wild and crazy manner prior to the accident. He passed a car in the no passing zone and it was described as a high rate of speed above the speed limit," Suffolk County Police Chief Stuart Cameron said.
Firefighters and medics swarmed the scene minutes after the crash. Maria Keskes was home when she heard it.
"I was ready to go to bed and then all of a sudden I hear a big giant boom," she told CBS2's Esha Ray. "It doesn't sound like a firecracker, anything like that. I thought something very bad happened because it sounded really strong and big and scary."
The aftermath of the crash was a chaotic scene in the pouring rain, Ray reported.
"It was a long affair," said witness Valdur Pratka. "There was a lot of yelling, noises -- I mean a lot of people."
"So sad, real sad," said Keskes. "You go out, you never know if you're going to come home."
Police said Geyer died along with three adults in the sedan. They said another adult is hospitalized in serious condition and a baby was taken to a hospital with injuries that aren't life-threatening.
The names of the other victims haven't been released.
Suffolk County police said they received multiple 911 calls at the accident. Many of them said Geyer was driving erratically. Investigators believe he was coming home from a party when he died.
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