accident

A three-car accident with minor injuries is reported at the intersection of Alleghany and Judge roads in Alabama. It is blocking traffic. Alabama fire and Mercy medic #2 are responding.

The driver in yesterday's fatal accident on Route 63 has been identified as Robert L. Williams, 67, of Pavilion.

Williams was northbound on Route 63 just south of Shepard Road in a Chevy sedan when a 1989 Mac bix truck made a left-hand turn in front of his vehicle, according to State Police.

The driver of the truck is identified as Arnold D. Duck, 83, of Attica.

State Police say this is an ongoing and active investigation. No further information was released.

A car vs. motorcycle accident is reported in the area of Ellicott Street Road near Shepard Road. Town of Batavia fire command asks for traffic to be shut down at Ellicott Street Road and Batavia Stafford Townline Road. Mercy medics are also responding. No word on injuries.

UPDATE 5:38 p.m.: Eastbound traffic on Ellicott Street Road is being diverted at Cedar Street.

UPDATE 6:15 p.m.: This accident did not involve a motorcycle. According to Town of Batavia Fire Chief Dan Coffey, it was a collision between a car and a "dump-style" agricultural vehicle and there were serious injuries. One person was transported via ambulance to UMMC. A small amount of hydraulic fluid was spilled as a result of the accident; thus it included a haz-mat incidence response.

UPDATE 6:44 p.m.: According to a just-issued press release from the State Police, this was a fatal accident. There were no other injuries. Route 63 between Shepard Road and Batavia Stafford Townline Road will be closed till 8 p.m. The investigation is ongoing.

UPDATE 8:28 p.m.: State Police just notified local media that family notifications have been completed; however, the name of the deceased has not yet been released. Route 63 is still closed.

A single-car accident with an individual complaining of neck pain is reported in the area of the Totem Pole on Ledge Road, Basom.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 4:06 p.m.: Law enforcement requested to the scene. Alabama's responding units can stage in quarters.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: Mercy can go back in service. Patient is a sign-off.

Two people were seriously hurt early this morning in an accident on Route 5 in Stafford.

Steven N. Cook, 33, was taken by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital with extensive injuries, according the Sheriff's Office. 

Shannon M. McGill, 28, was taken to Strong by Mercy EMS with upper body injuries.

The accident was reported at 2:07 a.m.

The cause or circumstances of the accident were not released. Only one vehicle was reportedly involved.

Assisting at the scene were volunteers from the Stafford and Town of Batavia fire departments.

Charges are pending. 

The investigation is being conducted by Deputy Eric Meyer.

A man was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC following a serious-injury accident this afternoon on Angling Road in Pembroke.

A small car and a truck carrying black-top material for road paving collided shortly after 4:30 p.m.

There was heavy debris all over the roadway and East Pembroke Fire Chief Don Newton said it was apparent as soon as he arrived on scene that this was a severe-injury accident.

He called for assistance from Corfu Fire Department, which provided heavy extrication at the scene.

"The dash of the small vehicle was literally laying in the chest of the patient," Newton said.

The male driver of the car was unconscious when Mercy medics arrived, but they were able to stabilize him and he regained consciousness before being taken to the hospital, Newton said.

The driver of the truck claimed no injuries.

Angling Road was closed at Route 33 and at West Avenue.

State Police are investigating the accident.

There's a report of a car hitting a pole on West Main Street, Le Roy, in front of Scooter's Restuarant.

Wires are down and there's a report of power out in the area.

The occupants are out of the vehicle, but there are wires on the vehicle.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance responding.

A motorcycle accident is reported on Sumner Road near Walker Road, Darien.

There are reportedly two victims.

Darien fire, Darien ambulance responding.

UPDATE 11:23 p.m.: Mercy Flight requested to the scene for both patients.

UPDATE 11:27 p.m.: Mercy Flight #5 out of Batavia and Mercy Flight #9 out Buffalo responding.

UPDATE 7 a.m. (July 28): Injured in the crash were Eric Brumstead, 55, of Bethany, and Andrea Farruggla, 43, no address provided. According to an accident report prepared by Sgt. Greg Walker, Brumstead was allegedly eastbound on Sumner Road at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate the curve in the roadway at Walker Road. His 2001 Honda motorcycle became airborne and both the driver and passenger were ejected. Both were flown to Strong Memorial Hospital. Possible charges are pending.

A two-car accident is reportedly tying up traffic a bit at Jackson and Ellicott streets. No injuries. City fire, police and Mercy medics responded.

A bicyclist was injured in a hit-and-run accident on West Main Street, Road, Batavia.

The injuries are reportedly minor.

There is only a limited description of the vehicle. It is reportedly black and will be missing a side mirror.

The location is in front of Delre's Greenhouse.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS were dispatched, but a Mercy medic who arrived on scene said fire would not be required, so Town of Batavia is standing down.

A motorcyclist reportedly crashed in the front yard of a residence at 644 Knapp Road, Pembroke, and "is experiencing chest pain." The location is near Lake Road. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments and Mercy medic #2 are responding. Mercy Flight is requested to the corner of Knapp and Lake Road.

A car vs. tractor-trailer accident is reported at Route 63 and Route 20, but only minor injuries are reported. 

Pavilion fire and Mercy EMS responding.

A silver sedan struck a pole on Bank Street near the Northgate Free Methodist Church in Batavia. There is heavy front-end damage but the driver is not injured. Mercy medics and firefighters responded.

A car vs. bicycle accident with injuries is reported at 500 E. Main St., in front of the pizza restaurant. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 10:44 a.m.: The bicyclist was transported to UMMC with a complaint of arm pain. He will be issued a citation. A police officer at the scene said the bicyclist was riding eastbound on the sidewalk and proceeded to cross Harvester Avenue as a pickup truck, also eastbound on East Main Street, with the right-of-way was attempting to make a right turn onto East Main Street Harvester. The truck driver said he tried to stop in time to avoid striking the bicyclist but was unable to do so.

UPDATED 9:30 a.m., Thursday, July 14.

An adult male visiting Genesee County from Buffalo died this evening in a drowning accident at Indian Falls.

The victim has been identified as Bradley Augustin, 22.

State Police are handling the investigation and no foul play is suspected.

Witnesses and first-responding firefighters said there were about 30 people at the falls tonight swimming and jumping into the water, even though Genesee County's moderate drought conditions have left the Tonawanda Creek with low water levels.

Triniti Morris, from Hamburg, was among the swimmers. She said people were having a good time and then somebody mentioned somebody was missing, and other people were saying, "no, no, nobody's missing."

One of her friends then spoke to a young man who seemed to be having trouble swimming and he said he was OK.

About five minutes later, somebody noticed he was missing.

Another male dove into the water and located him and several people helped pull him onto the rocks, at which point another young woman began giving him CPR.

Morris said the woman performing CPR got the victim to throw up and she thought the victim had started breathing when paramedics, she said, instructed the woman providing CPR to turn the victim on his left side. At this point, Morris said, two State Troopers arrived and ordered everybody to leave the scene, including the woman performing CPR.

Morris was concerned that nobody continued CPR, but Pembroke Fire Chief Jamie Waff said typically, when certified CPR personnel arrive on scene, they take over from witnesses who first started CPR.

"It’s great to see bystanders starting CPR, but it’s very confusing when they're wrapped up in the situation and we don’t know if they’re actually certified," Waff said. "When we get on location, we’re actually certified in CPR with the defibrillator. If anyone told her to leave, that is probably the reason because there were certified personnel on location to take over at that point."

Adding to the difficulty of the situation at Indian Falls, Waff said, is the congregation of drunken patrons at the bar, who sometimes cause issues when firefighters are attempting to perform a rescue.  

"There’s always an issue when we come here because you’re usually dealing with intoxicated people who think you aren’t doing it fast enough," Waff said. "Our number one concern is firefighter safety. We have to make sure all of our guys are safe as they go down. It’s a law enforcement issue because you are dealing with a bar-type situation."

It was a tense situation at the scene and one neighbor of Indian Falls was upset enough to provide reporters with a profanity-laced commentary on what he perceives as inattention by the owner of the Log Cabin Restaurant, the Town of Pembroke and local law enforcement to the dangerous situation at Indian Falls.

Barry Guthrie doesn't think anybody is doing enough to keep swimmers and divers off the falls.

"We've been fighting this for 10 years," said Guthrie, who moved in 2002 into a house near the falls once owned by his grandparents. 

He said he's been to the town, but the town, he said, can't determine who holds title to what, and he said that even though the Log Cabin has posted signs all along its property that say "No Trespassing," he doesn't think the owner takes the situation seriously because he believes the falls are public property (Genesee County owns the Tonawanda Creek from the City of Batavia to the Tonawanda Indian Reservation).

Responding to the scene were Town of Pembroke fire, Indian Falls fire, Genesee County Emergency Services, the Rope Rescue Team, Mercy EMS, Mercy Flight, the Sheriff's Office and State Police.

Possible drownings are reported in the falls by the Indian Falls Log Cabin Restaurant. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are called to respond along with Mercy medics. The caller reports two possible victims are in the water at the falls and not coming up. The Alabama Volunteer Fire Department Chief is asked to contact the GC Emergency Dispatch Center.

UPDATE 7:13 p.m.: The command post is set up in the Log Cabin restaurant parking lot.

UPDATE 7:15 p.m.: The restaurant is located at 1227 Gilmore Road in Corfu. A trooper says one male subject who was found is not breathing. A Mercy Flight landing zone is being set up. "Looks like they're doing CPR." Onlookers at the scene are said to be a problem for first responders.

UPDATE 7:24 p.m.: Mercy Flight has a five-minute ETA. A responder with a backboard "for CPR purposes" is requested at the edge of the falls.

UPDATE 7:26 p.m.: Mercy Flight #5 out of Batavia has a three-minute ETA.

UPDATE 7:40 p.m.: Medics on scene, including Mercy medics and Mercy Flight personnel "are aware that it's a recovery mode at this point."

UPDATE 7:43 p.m.: Mercy Medic #3 is called to the scene for "firefighters with some abrasions."

UPDATE 7:45 p.m.: The chief in command at the scene reports there is one fatality and that it will take about 30 minutes to bring the male victim up and out of the area. It's unknown how long the victim may have been under water. There are no other victims. About 30 people were in the water at the time of the incident, according to the scene commander and other witnesses.

A two-car accident with unknown injuries is reported at South Main and River streets in the city.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 7:31 p.m.: There are no injuries.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported on East Main Street, Batavia, near the McDonald's.

Unknown injuries.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

A first responder says City Fire can respond non-emergency.

UPDATE 9:38 p.m.: Engine 11 clearing the scene. 

UPDATE 9:44 p.m.: Patient being transported to UMMC for evaluation.

A car has reportedly hit a utility pole at Warboys Road and South Byron Road, Byron.

Unknown injuries.

Byron and South Byron fire departments along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4 p.m.: Southbound traffic being shut down.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at East Main and Liberty streets. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 10:18 a.m.: A first responder says two cars were involved and two patients may have minor injuries and are being evaluated.

UPDATE 10:24 a.m.: The two drivers are signs-offs. Accident site cleanup underway.