accident

The driver of a 1996 Pontiac was injured Monday night in a single-car rollover accident on Route 63 near Galloway Road in Batavia.

C.J. Friesma, 24, of 27 S. Pearl St., Apt. 3, Oakfield, reportedly told Deputy C.A. Parker that he lost control of the car for reasons unknown. He was driving southbound on 63 when the car began a counter-clockwise rotation. The car traveled across the northbound lane and down an embankment, where it overturned.

Friesma reportedly suffered a shoulder injury and was transported to UMMC.

The Pontiac's owner, Nicole E. Friesma, of Oakfield, told Parker that she called Friesma about 11:15 p.m. to pick her up from work, and he was asleep.

The accident occurred about 11:25 p.m.

(Picture submitted by Chief Robert Hunt, Town of Batavia Fire Department)

Two teenagers were injured in a one-car crash last night in the 8700 block of Simonds Road in Pembroke that investigators say was caused by driving too fast.

Holly A. Peffer, 17, of 10374 Clarence Center, Clarence, was reported as the driver and she suffered an injured leg. Her passenger was reportedly Chelsea K. Loomis, 16, who complained of abdominal pain.

Both were transported to Erie County Medical Center for evaluation.

Deputy K.R. McCarthy reported that the car, a 1999 Ford SUV, was northbound on Simonds Road at an "unsafe speed" at about 11:40 p.m. when it left the roadway along the east shoulder. The car hit an earth embankment and rolled over.

A twenty-year-old Attica woman suffered burns on her legs in a three-car crash The Batavian reported on yesterday afternoon.

Amanda L. Gilhooly, of 1432 Nesbitt Road, Attica, managed to escape from her 2004 Saturn sedan before it burst into flames. She suffered burns on her legs and was transported to UMMC after the 4:37 p.m. crash.

According to the Sheriff's Office report prepared by Deputy C.J. Minuto, a 2006 Subaru SUV driven by Amie L. Gray, 26, of 62 Leydecker, Apt. 2, Seneca, was heading northbound on Route 98 when Gray was unable to stop or avoid a Jeep driven by James Delvin, 66, of 4452 Shortsville Road, Shortsville. Devlin stopped in the road to make a left-hand turn into a driveway of a construction site. 

Upon impact, according to the report, Delvin's Jeep spun counter-clockwise into the southbound lane, where it was hit in the back a second time by the Saturn driven by Gilhooly.

Photo above submitted by Deputy Chief Paul Barrett of the Town of Batavia Fire Department. For more photos, see the original post.

UPDATE: One woman suffered burns to her legs and a second driver was transported to UMMC for evaluation following a three-car accident on Route 98 near Rose Road in Batavia about 4:45 p.m.

A Saturn driven by the woman who was burned was completely engulfed.

"She was lucky to get out of the car fast," said Town of Batavia Fire Chief Robert Hunt.

Her name, along with the other driver who may have been injured has not been released.

James Devlin, who was driving a Jeep northbound on Route 98 when his car was apparently rear-ended by A Subaru, was apparently uninjured and declined transport to the hospital.

"I was making a left turn and I could see the car coming up behind me and it wasn't going to stop, but there was nothing I could do," Devlin said. "She hit me and spun me around and then the other car hit me and that's the last thing I remember. I just got out because I saw the flames."

The third vehicle in the crash, a Saturn, that made the second impact with Devlin's Jeep apparently tore the gas tank from the Jeep, which immediately burst into flames.

It wasn't clear from officials on scene if the woman driving the Saturn was pulled from the burning car or if she got herself out. Devlin said he believed she got out of the car herself.

The preliminary investigation by Deputy C.J. Minuto indicates the driver of the Subaru apparently did not stop after coming over the crest of a hill and hit Devlin's Jeep, spinning it into the southbound lane, where it was again hit in the rear by the Saturn.

Pictures: Top, photo submitted by Deputy Chief Paul Barrett of the Town of Batavia Fire Department. The second photo, by Howard Owens, is the the burned-out Saturn.  Bottom: First picture by Howard Owens of Deputy Minuto and Det. Kirsopher Kautz look at the Jeep that was driven by Devlin.  Next three pictures by Paul Barrett.

NOTE: We are anticipating more pictures later.

Original Post:

A vehicle accident in the area of 9098 Route 98 has apparently left one person with burns and fire crews are being dispatched.

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The driver of a black Pontiac Grand Am or Grand Prix that reportedly hit a motorcycle on Walnut Street on Friday night and then fled the scene is being sought by Batavia Police.

The motorcycle driver, Justin Fagan, 22, who suffered an injury to his lower leg, told police he had seen the Pontiac behind him on Route 98 driving at a high rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic. Both the car and the motorcycle were northbound on Walnut when they approached the construction area in the 100 block and Fagan said he slowed down and moved left to try avoid being hit.

The black Pontiac allegedly maintained its original speed, striking the motorcycle in the rear, sideswiping it and then continuing northbound on Walnut Street, turning right onto Law Street (its only option with Walnut closed to northbound traffic at that point).

Fagan's passenger, Emily O'Brien (age not available), suffered an unspecified back injury.

Both O'Brien and Fagan were taken to UMMC, but both have apparently been released as of today.

Witnesses at the scene Friday night complained that even with the rough road during construction, cars continue to drive the street faster than they should.

"This was bound to happen," said Walnut Street resident T.J. McAllister. "See how bumpy it is. Look at that police car and how much it's bouncing even as slow as its going.  People come through here going twice as fast. It's just crazy."

Det. Richard Schauf, Batavia Police Department, said the police are aware of speed problems along Walnut and Law streets and are doing as much as possible to address it.

"Whenever we have somebody available that's an area we try to enforce," Schauf said. "We try to be visible."

Another witness, Joe Elmore, who was first on the scene, described Fagan as a bit of a hero, sacraficing his own body to keep his bike upright.

"He said he did everything he could to protect his girlfriend," Elmore said. "He broke his leg just trying to hold up his bike."

UPDATE: Jeremy M. Pysher, 19, of 730 Exchange Road, Attica, was seriously injured and is in critical condition at Erie County Medical Center following a one-car accident on Route 238 this morning at 8:42.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash in which Pysher, driving a 1991 Chevrolet Lumina, drifted across the southbound lane and off the west shoulder of the roadway. The car struck a tree "virtually head-on" and twisted around the trunk of the tree before striking a second tree.

The car caught fire, but the fire was contained to the rear of the engine compartment. 

Pysher suffered unspecified injuries as well as burns to his lower legs.

He was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC.

The location of the accident on Route 238 was appoximately 4/10 of a mile south of Griswold Road in Darien.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by Deputy Eric Seppala with assistance from Sgt. James Meier, Sgt. William Scott and Investigator Timothy Weis. Also responding to the scene were the Corfu Police Department, the Darien Fire Department and members of New York State Corrections.

Original post:

A car reportedly hit a tree on Route 238 just south of Griswold Road in Darien.

At least one person is trapped in the car and extraction tools are needed. Mercy Flight has been requested. The car was also reportedly smoldering.

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An apparent hit-and-run driver injured two people tonight after reportedly rear-ending a motorcycle as it slowed to pass over an unpaved area of Walnut Street.

A witness, Joe Elmore, of Walnut Street, said he heard a loud crack followed by a woman's "blood curdling" scream, and he rushed from his back yard out to the roadway.  He assisted the driver and his female passenger, trying to get a passing BMW to call 911 and and follow the hit-and-run driver. He doesn't believe the BMW driver did either.

Elmore said he screamed at a semi-truck driver to stop and put on his flashers, and he did, to slow down traffic.

The location of the accident, about 143 Walnut St., is the start of a road construction area where the pavement has been completely removed and replaced by stones. There is an at least four-inch drop from the paved area to the rocky surface.

Both Elmore and T.J. McAllister, who lives adjacent the accident scene, said cars continue to come flying down Walnut as if there's no construction at all.

Elmore said the motorcycle driver told him that he slowed when he hit the unpaved area, but the car behind him didn't and plowed right into him.

"He said he did everything he could to protect his girlfriend," Elmore said. "He broke his leg just trying to hold up his bike."

Just in the five minutes or so Elmore, McAllister and myself stood there talking, after the accident scene had been cleared, at least a half dozen cars passed in each direction driving at or above the normal speed limit. One car hit the bump so hard something fall off of it.

Elmore said he wanted attention brought to the street so that people will be more aware that they need to slow down.

A few minutes earlier, while McAllister and I talked, he pointed to a police car pulling away and said, "This was bound to happen. See how bumpy it is. Look at that police car and how much it's bouncing even as slow as it's going. People come through here going twice as fast. It's just crazy."

No official report on the accident is available at this time.

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A pair of tractor trailers have collided on eastbound Interstate 90 at about mile marker 288. One is reportedly partially overturned. No injuries reported at this time.

One driver reports being cut off by another truck driver.  No further details at this time.

Emergency crews are being dispatched to a one-car accident on the Thruway with a reported minor injury. 

A first responder reports that the accident is in the median near Bank Street with one person complaining of chest and knee pain.

SafeRoads.org has a searchable map of all the U.S. pinpointing fatal traffic accidents, and showing the density of such accidents.  Looking over the Genesee County area, it doesn't look like there is any one roadway or intersection that is more prone toward fatal accidents.

One person suffered minor injuries in a two-car accident on Route 19 at East Park Street in Pavilion on Saturday when the driver of one car reportedly failed to see another car and pulled out in front of it.

David J. Reschke, 18, of 9741 Transit Road, Stafford, was driving a 1999 Chevy sedan owned by Cynthia Reschke, when he reportedly stopped at a stop sign on westbound East Park Street, and then proceeded onto Route 19.

Reschke was reportedly distracted while admiring a passing Chrysler 300.

Three witnesses reported seeing him pull out in front of the on coming car.

The other car, a 2001 Ford sedan owned by Patricia Malone of Batavia, was driven by Tyler Kilgore, 19, of 9366 Sheppard Drive, Batavia. Kilgore reportedly suffered minor injuries and as transported to UMMC.

Following the accident investigation by Deputy Mazur, Reschke was charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under 21.

A vehicle driven by a Darien man reportedly failed to yield the right-of-way while making a left turn on Route 20 yesterday afternoon causing a two-car crash.

Duane D. Leo, 70, who was reportedly driving a 1999 Plymouth SUV, allegedly made the turn and was hit by a 1996 Jeep driven by Justin W. Loomis, 24.

Leo lives at 1331 Herkimer Road, Darian and Loomis is from 8934 Luckenbach Hill, Springwater.

Leo was transported to UMMC with a minor head injury.

The accident occurred at 1919 Broadway. We origionally reported this as an accident involving a tractor trailer.  No tractor trailer is mentioned in Deputy K.R. McCathy's report, so the original report must have been in error in that regard.

Two cars  hit head-on on Route 5 near Kenny Road in Le Roy on Tuesday about 8 p.m.

Both drivers were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

Deputy M. R. Butler investigated the crash and reported that Paul D. Bennett, of 15 Myrtle St., Le Roy, was attempting to make a left-hand turn into the Kwik-Fill station when she spotted a vehicle in the oncoming lane. She reportedly attempted to swerve back into her own lane but didn't make it.

The other driver  was George J. Vagg, of 10321 Creek Road, Pavilion.

Bennett was driving a 2007 Nissan sedan and Vagg was behind the wheel of a 2001 Chevy SUV.

Vagg, 76, reportedly suffered minor cuts to his face. Bennett reportedly complained of abdominal pain.

A two-vehicle accident with minor injuries is reportedly blocking Route 20 at 1888 Broadway, half way between Alexander and Darien.

The accident involves a car and tractor trailer. There is reportedly severe damage on the car and it's leaking gasoline.

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A car reportedly struck a deer at 2629 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road.  A passenger reportedly suffered facial lacerations and the white Ford Blazer is in a ditch at the side of the road.

UPDATE: We received an accident report on this accident late this afternoon from the Sheriff's Office.

Seven-year-old MiKayla McLain was reportedly injured in this accident when he was partially ejected from the vehicle. MiKayla reportedly suffered head injuries with severe bleeding and was transport via ambulance to UMMC. He was semi-conscious at the time of transport, according to the accident report.

The vehicle was reportedly driven by Jason McLain, 33, of 31 Walnut St., upper, Batavia.  McLain complained of head pain.

McLain was issued three citation. One for reportedly not wearing a safety belt, one for not properly restraining a child age 7 to 15, and one for reportedly driving without a license.

The accident was investigated by Deputy L.A. Nati.

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UPDATE: 2:10 p.m.: State police have released the names of the victims in this morning's double fatal vehicle accident on Route 19 in LeRoy.

The victims are Martin Muszak, 64, of Rochester, who drove a Nissan Altima and was struck head on by a Dodge van driven by the other victim, Raymond Sissel, 84, of LeRoy.

Here's what the state Police determined:

A Nissan Altima operated by Muszak was traveling southbound on Route 19. A dump truck operated by Steven W. Ebner, 55, of Hamlin, was traveling southbound behind the Altima. A Dodge van operated by Sissel was traveling northbound on Route 19. 

The Dodge van crossed over into the southbound lane striking the Nissan Altima head on. The Nissan was then pushed into the front of the dump truck and came to rest on the east shoulder of the roadway. After striking the Nissan, the Dodge van then struck the dump truck coming to rest on its driver side on the west shoulder of the roadway.  The driver of the van, Sissel, and the driver of the Nissan, Muszak, were both pronounced dead at the scene by the Genesee County Coroner. The driver of the dump truck, Ebner, was not injured. There were no other passengers in any of the vehicles. The LeRoy and Bergen Fire Departments assisted at the scene of the accident. At this time the investigation ongoing.

UPDATE 10: a.m.: An accident this morning on Route 19 near North Road is confirmed a double fatal by Rebecca Gibbons, spokeswoman for the New York State Police.

The victims have not been identified pending family notifications.

Apparently, a northbound passenger vehicle strayed into the southbound lane striking another passenger vehicle head on.  A dump truck traveling behind the southbound vehicle was also involved in the accident.

The drivers in both passenger vehicles are confirmed dead.

No details on either vehicle are available at this time.

Shortly before the report of the accident came in, there had been numerous calls to Genesee County dispatch of a black van driving recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic, northbound on Route 19.  Gibbons could not confirm that this was the northbound vehicle involved in the accident.

Initial Reports:

Mercy Flight is being dispatched to the scene of a head-on collision on Route 19 near the Thruway in Le Roy. The Bergen Fire Department is being requested to the scene with extraction equipment.

The initial report had two vehicles and a dump truck involved.

Prior to the call, a van driving erratically had been reported in the area.

UPDATE: Mercy Flight was reportedly cancelled.

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Last week we reported that Neil W. Phelps, 55, of Caledonia, was charged with reckless driving in connection with his reported operation of a tractor down Route 63 and Main Street in May, striking three vehicles and pushing one sideways down Main.

It struck me when we got the news release that we had never received the actual police accident report, which would fill in a number of details related to the accident, so I requested a copy from the Sheriff's Office.

Here's the narrative:

Vehicle 1, A large-tracked farm tractor, pulling a folded cultivator was traveling south on Route 63. At the intersection of Route 63 and Veteran's Memorial Drive, the tractor struck vehicle 2, pushing it out of the lane. The tractor continued south. At the intersection of Route 63 and Park Road, the cultivator side swiped Vehicle 3. The tractor continued on and struck vehicle 4 at the intersection of Route 63 and Route 5. The operator of vehicle 4 accelerated in an attempt to get away from tractor, striking an unknown vehicle. The tractor then struck vehicle 5, pushing it into vehicle 6. Vehicle 6 was able to accelerate away from vehicle 5. Vehicle 5 became wedged into the center of the tractor. The tractor continued on about a tenth of a mile east on Route 5, stopping in the area of Woodrow Road in the city of Batavia. The operator of the tractor was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Vehicle 1 is a 2007 Case tractor owned by Phillip J. Call, Batavia. It was reportedly operated by Neil W. Phelps, 55, of Caledonia.

Vehicle 2, a 2003 Chevy SUV, owned and operated by Donna L. Mcauley, 43, of Oakfield.

Vehicle 3, a 2003 Jeep SUV, owned and operated by Carrie A. Monachino, 37, of Oakfield. Passenger: Charles D. Bucci, 33.

Vehicle 4, a 1999 Chevy sedan, owned by Roxanne J. Munger and operated by Philip C. Munger, 33, of Oakfield. Roxanna Munger, 34, was a passenger, as was Morgan Munger, 10, and Nicholas N. Munger, 7.

Vehicle 5, a 2002 Ford sedan, owned and operated by Eugene E. Laney, 72, of Oakfield. Passenger: Darlene Kingdollar, no age available.

Vehicle 6, a 1997 Chevy sedan, owned and operated by Timothy M. Callen, 17, of Le Roy. Passengers: Aaron J. Archilla, 18, and Henri J. Burdett, 18.

The only injury listed on the report is to Kingdollar. She complained of generalized body pain and was transported to UMMC.

As or the reckless driving charge against Phelps, Chief Gordon Dibble of the Sheriff's Office offered this statement in e-mail:

The possible charges were discussed with the DA's Office.  As you know, all crimes have elements that have to be present before they can be charged. After everything was considered, Reckless Driving was the appropriate charge.

The report was prepared by Deputy C.W. Mower.

Previously:

• Medina pastor who helped stop runaway tractor on Main Street tells his story
• Charges pending in accident involving tractor on Main Street
• Tractor pushes car sideways down Main Street into the city

Two people were transported to area hospitals yesterday evening following a two-vehicle accident on Route 33 at West Bergen Road.

Robert L. Smith, 45, of 8339 Gulf Road, Le Roy, was taken to UMMC with a complaint of back pain.

Stephanie A. Howard, 23, of 12 Winston Woods, Brockport, was taken to Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Monroe County.

According to an accident report prepared by Deputy J. M. Graff of the Sheriff's Office, Smith's vehicle was southbound on West Bergen Road at 5:26 p.m. when he failed to yield at Route 33. Howard's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee struck Smith's 1999 Chevy pick-up.

The pick-up is registered to Keith D. Smith of 8339 Gulf Road, Le Roy.

Neil W. Phelps, 55, of 2494 DeNoon Road, Caledonia, has been charged with reckless driving.

Phelps was reportedly the operator of a tractor on eastbound Main Street in Batavia last month that struck several cars and pushed one with two occupants inside about a tenth of a mile down the roadway.

The Sheriff's Office press release says that Phelps operated the tractor "in a manner which unreasonably interfered with the free and proper use of the public highway and unreasonably endangered users of the public highway."

Phelps is set to appear in Batavia Town Court on July 16 at 1:30 p.m. for arraignment on the charge.