accident

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS are at the scene of a rollover accident on the Thruway near the Batavia exit.

Injuries are reportedly minor. One vehicle is on its roof.

A State Trooper has been requested to the scene.

An Alexander man who was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy Flight yesterday following a motorcycle accident was treated and released, according to a patient information clerk at Strong.

Landen P. McCormick, 21, was northbound on Sandpit Road in Alexander when he reportedly failed to negotiate a curve and struck a guard rail, according to State Police.

McCormick was ejected from the motorcycle and according to reports yesterday, suffered a possible head injury.

No tickets were issued.

A motorcycle accident has been reported at the intersection of Sandpit and Dry Bridge roads, Alexander.

The driver reportedly suffered a head injury.

Mercy Flight is being put in the air.

Alexander Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4:04 p.m.: Mercy Flight in the air. Four minute ETA

UPDATE 4:20 p.m.: Mercy Flight 5 in the air, transporting to Strong Memorial.

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There is a one-vehicle rollover accident reported in the westbound lane of the Thruway at mile marker 399.1 in Pembroke.

The vehicle is reportedly on fire and one person may have been dragged from the roadway.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire are being dispatched along with Mercy EMS.

UPDATE 8:55 p.m.: First responder reports the car is fully involved.

UPDATE 9:11 p.m.: The fire is out. The Thruway is closed. Firefighters are now searching the area for possible passengers. It still unknown how many occupants were in the car.

UPDATE 9:39 p.m.: Fire units are leaving the scene. No further information available at this time.

UPDATE 10:58 p.m.: East Pembroke just cleared the Thruway and went back in service.

UPDATE Sunday morning: The Buffalo News reports this was a fatal accident. Mark Deacon, 53, of Buffalo, sustained head injuries in the accident and died at ECMC. He had been ejected from his 1997 Chevy Blazer after it overturned. Deacon apparently over corrected after his vehicle drifted onto the left shoulder. There is no report of other accident victims.

A teen-age driver reportedly struck a deer Wednesday evening, over corrected and overturned her car in a ditch on Boyce Road in Pembroke.

Two of her passengers were injured.

Taken to UMMC for treatment were Randy J. Hesler, 16 and Amanda Richley, 18.

Kelsey Nichole Milks, 17, of 576 Main Road, Corfu, was driving a 2001 Pontiac sedan at 9:21 p.m. She was uninjured.

A fourth passenger, Abbigayle R. Henry, was also not hurt.

No citations were issued.

Deputy Patrick Reeves investigated the accident.

One person was injured in a rear-end car accident on Pratt Road in Batavia on Wednesday.

Treated at the scene was Mark D. Humel, 18, of East Pembroke, for an arm pain complaint.

Humel was cited for allegedly speeding.

The other driver, Lori A. Defazio, 53, of 2636 Pratt Road, Batavia, was uninjured.

Defazio was reportedly driving westbound on Pratt when she slowed to make a left turn. Humel allegedly did not notice her slowing or see her turn signal.

Humel's car struck Defazio's from behind and spun it around 180 degrees.

The accident occurred at 5 p.m. It was investigated by Sgt. Greg Walker.

One of the passengers in a car involved in a fatal accident Aug. 14 in Darien Center has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages against the drivers of both vehicles.

Timothy L. Enderle names as defendants Ronald J. Wendt, Jr., Rachel L. Enderle and Michael A. Enderle.

Rachel, 27, was reportedly the driver of a 1993 Toyota sedan owned by Michael. Timothy, 20, was a passenger along with Gabrielle E. Mahus, 18, and Katie M. Stanley, 18.

Stanley died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.

According to the initial Sheriff's Office press release, Timothy was transported by ambulance to UMMC and later transferred to Strong Memorial with a hip injury.

When we reached Rochester attorney Sheldon W. Boyce, who is representing Timothy, he wasn't in his office and didn't have a copy of the case with him, but he indicated there is no specific allegation of distracted driving by Rachel or equipment failure in the Toyota.

"Any time there are two cars in an accident, there is a certain percentage of fault with both drivers," Boyce said.

Wendt, who is accused of drunken driving, is in jail on $250,000 bail awaiting trial on a 12-count indictment that with enhancements could lead to a 25-year prison term.

For previous coverage, click here.

The attorney for an Alexander man accused of driving drunk at the time of a fatal accident in Darien wants to see the mobile phone records for the occupants of the car carrying the Dansville teenager who was killed.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman says that Defense Attorney Thomas Burns is merely on a "fishing expedition" in his request for the records.

The request and Friedman 's response are in motions filed by the two attorneys in the case of 24-year-old Ronald J. Wendt.

Wendt faces a 12-count indictment in the case, including an enhancement charge that could lead to a 25-year prison sentence.

"The requested records are relevant and highly probative on the issue of the driver's attention to road conditions and other traffic immediately to the automobile accident," Burns writes. 

Burns goes on to note that distracted driving, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, accounts for 26 percent of motor vehicle accidents.

Friedman responded, "There has never been any indication that anyone in the victims' automobile was using a cell phone at or near the time of the collision ... Instead, the defense is simply attempting to engage in a "fishing expedition" ... The people are not in possession of, nor aware of, the existence of any such cell phone records. Furthermore, we fail to see the relevance of possible cell phone communications involving passengers in said vehicle. Finally, it is the People's position that there is no authority for the Defendant's baseless effort to obtain possible cell phone records of crime victims and that such discovery would be beyond the parameters of (evidence law)."

Katie M. Stanley was killed in the Aug. 14 accident. Stanley was a passenger in a Toyota driven by a friend from Dansville and there were two other passengers. The group was returning from Darien Lake on Route 5 when it entered Darien Center, where the speed limit quickly drops from 55 mph to 40 mph. Wendt was apparently the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup that turned left into the parking lot of My Saloon just ahead of the oncoming car.

The Toyota struck the rear of the pickup truck. There has been no evidence presented so far, nor reports of, skid marks or other evasive action by the driver of the Toyota.

Wendt reportedly told a Sheriff's deputy that he had been drinking beer that day while baling hay. Deputy Tim Wescott reported that Wendt demonstrated slurred speech, had the odor of alcohol and demonstrated poor coordination following the accident. He reportedly had a BAC of .08.

Judge Robert Noonan will hear oral arguments in the motions on Jan. 19.

Burns has also filed a standard number of motions to disclose evidence, open the Grand Jury minutes, dismiss the case on various grounds and suppress specific pieces of evidence on various legal grounds.

For previous coverage, click here (all previous stories on this topic are now tagged "Ronald J. Wendt").

A woman who was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by ground ambulance following an accident on Clinton Street Road on Sunday night has been treated and released.

Margaret G. Foley, 86, of 6880 Lymon Road, Byron, reportedly lost control of her car on a snow-covered road, hit a mailbox and then a snow pile, causing her car to overturn onto the passenger side.

The accident occurred at 10:28 p.m. Sunday in the area of 5860 Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Frank Bordonaro. No tickets were issued. No other vehicles were involved.

Here's our initial report.

A car is reportedly on its side in the area of 5860 Clinton St. Road, Batavia.

There are reportedly injuries.

UPDATE 10:40 p.m.: Stafford Fire is responding.  One older woman is trapped in the car. It's unknown if she's injured.

UPDATE 11:05 p.m.: "Victim extricated." Previously, Mercy Flight was dispatched and then cancelled.

UPDATE 11:21 p.m.: The driver is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy EMS. 

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Two teenagers were injured yesterday when one of them apparently lost control of the car he was driving on Sandpit Road.

The 2000 Chevy Pickup flew into a barn at 10298 Sandpit, Alexander, and landed on its roof in the basement of the barn.

Joseph Edel, 16, of 11 North St., Attica, was taken by Mercy EMS to UMMC with neck pain. His passenger, Michael A., Bigouette, 15, was transported by ambulance to UMMC complaining of chest pain.

The 4:35 p.m. accident remains under investigation by Deputy Cory Mower and no tickets have been issued.

Previously: Report of vehicle into a barn on Sandpit Road, Alexander

An accident with injuries has been reported in the area of 2687 Judge Road, Oakfield.

UPDATE 4:36 p.m.: A first responder, likely law enforcement, reports no injuries and suggested that Oakfield Fire not respond because of road conditions.

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A car has hit a pole and wires are down in the area of 7797 Oak Orchard Road (Route 98).

Minor injuries are reported.

Mercy EMS and Town of Batavia Fire have been dispatched.

Alexander Fire is being dispatched to a report of a vehicle crashing into a barn, with a possible roll over, on Sandpit Road.

The exact address is unknown at this time.

UPDATE 4:42 p.m.: No address yet, but the vehicle is upside down in the basement in the barn.

A two-vehicle accident with injuries is snarling rush-hour traffic on Main Street. The accident occurred in front of Denny's on West Main and one of the vehicles is said to have heavy front-end damage.

No word yet on injuries. Medics and tow trucks have been called to the scene.

Two people were injured Tuesday when a tired came off a truck and struck their car.

The truck driver was not cited following the accident that sent Marcia Gere, 63, and Colleen Gere to UMMC by ambulance for treatment.

Marcia reportedly suffered whiplash and Colleen was reportedly in shock and complaining of chest pain.

The truck is owned by Hanson Aggregates of Pavilion. It was driven by Michael J. Walker, 56, of Pavilion.

The accident occurred at 11:41 a.m. on Route 5 in Stafford.

Walker had a proper overweight permit, according to Deputy Brian Thompson, who investigated the accident.

A truck overturned after hitting a utility pole on Route 98 just north of Ridge Road in Orleans County.

The accident was originally reported as in Genesee County, so Elba Fire and Mercy EMS were dispatched.

It is apparently a minor-injury accident. The driver was out of the vehicle when crews arrived.

Power was knocked out to a nearby building.

The condition of a boy hit by a car on Washington Avenue last Wednesday has improved, according to Det. Richard Schauf of the Batavia Police Department.

Thirteen-year-old James Difalco is now listed in stable condition at Buffalo Women's and Children's Hospital, Schauf said this morning.

Difalco sustained a head injury when he reportedly ran into the street and was hit by a car. The driver has not been charged.

A Caledonia woman driving on Route 5 in Le Roy on Friday morning said she served to avoid a possible head-on collision, causing her car to travel off the opposite shoulder and hit a dumpster.

Cinthia Mae Seppe, 50, of 13 Birch Lane, suffered an internal injury and was transported around 11 a.m. to UMMC by ambulance.

The driver of the other vehicle is not known.

Seppe was westbound on Route 5 near Kenney Road at the time of the accident. She was driving a 1996 Chevrolet sedan.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Jason Diehl.

A Stafford man suffered a broken arm in an accident 2:43 a.m. Thursday after reportedly running his car off the road in Le Roy.

John Richenberg, 20, of 8891 Fargo Road, was charged with DWI.

Richenberg was reportedly eastbound on Route 5 when his car went off the south shoulder. The 2002 Ford SUV he was driving reportedly struck a small tree, then a larger tree and then a telephone pole.