Diana Rocco reporting live in Levittown
Eyewitness News
Updated 8 mins ago
LEVITTOWN, Long Island (WABC) -- Two people died and a child is in critical condition after they exited their vehicle following a multi-car crash on the Wantagh State Parkway late Tuesday.
Police say five vehicles were involved in the accidents, which happened southbound lanes of the parkway between exits W3 and W4 just after 11 p.m.
Authorities say the incident began when a Nissan Murano driven by 33-year-old Reina Olivera rear-ended a Honda CRV driven by 50-year-old Ana Ramirez, and both vehicles came to rest in the left lane. A passenger in the Honda, identified as 61-year-old Nicolas Ramirez, and Olivera -- who was holding her 3-year-old daughter -- exited their vehicles and were standing in the left lane, apparently exchanging information.
It was then that a Toyota Corolla driven by 41-year-old Michael Martino came upon the vehicles stopped in the left lane, and police say when he began to slow down, he was rear-ended by a Honda Accord driven by 20-year-old Marbin Velasquez. The Accord then struck Olivera, Ramirez and the girl
Ramirez was thrown into the northbound lanes, where he was subsequently struck by a Jeep Wrangler operated by 48-year-old James Maney. Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene, while Olivera died a short time later at Nassau University Medical Center. The child was taken to NUMC in critical condition.
Maney suffered facial lacerations.
There appears to be no criminal liability involved in the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.
This is not the first time a similar incident has happened in our area, and experts say that if you must get out of your car after an accident, it is imperative that you get out of harm's way.
"Each situation is different," said Steven Rajczyk, of AAA North Jersey. "There is no one, hard, fast rule, except this: Try to get away from the vehicle, as far as possible."