New Details Released in Deadly Crash Involving FDNY Tower Ladder
New York Daily News
(TNS)
The 78-year-old Access-A-Ride passenger killed in a chain reaction crash involving an FDNY truck in Brooklyn was seconds away from arriving home with his wife when the wild, caught-on-video collision occurred, cops and neighbors said.
Victim Placido Dandrea’s wife was on the phone with their daughter early Tuesday evening when the chaos unfolded — with the panicked daughter dashing out from their home only to find her dad mortally injured — a neighbor said.
“(He and his wife) went to a doctor’s appointment and they were on their way home,” said neighbor, Wes Paloscio, 57. “(Their daughter) said, ‘I was telling my mother I was in the kitchen cooking and she says, “I’ll be home, we’re at West 10th, we’re making the turn. I’ll be home any minute.”’”
Surveillance video obtained by the Daily News shows the Access-A-Ride bus, along with a Lexus SUV behind it, pull over and stop near the corner of W. 11th St. and Avenue S. in Gravesend as fire truck sirens blare in the background.
The fire truck, with its lights and sirens on, was headed east on Avenue S when it was struck by the driver of a commercial Ford van heading north on W. 11th St. around 6:45 p.m., cops said.
That collision sent the fire truck careening into the westbound lane, where it smashed head-on into the Access-A-Ride bus, which then slammed into the Lexus SUV stopped behind it, the dramatic footage shows.
“Imagine being on the phone with your mother and then all of the sudden you hear [the impact]? And it was loud,” Paloscio said. “If you were anywhere in the area and you were outside, you had to hear it. We’re not talking about a little tap. Cars were smashed.”
On video, the Access-A-Ride driver is seen stepping out of the bus, seemingly unscathed.
Paloscio said Dandrea’s daughter watched helplessly as paramedics tried to revive her father at the scene. Dandrea was rushed to South Brooklyn Health in critical condition, but he could not be saved, cops said.
“You think about it, just the way it works: They’re fifty feet away from their house, literally make a right turn and (you’re home),” Paloscio lamented. “It’s sad. That’s how quick life changes. That fast.”
Dandrea’s 75-year-old wife, along with the 31-year-old man driving the Access-A-Ride bus were hospitalized with minor injuries, according to cops and neighbors.
“She’s doing OK. She’s still at the hospital but she’s gonna make it,” Paloscio said Wednesday afternoon.
An FDNY spokesperson said in a statement that the fire truck involved in the crash, “was relocating to another fire company that was operating at an All-Hands fire,” when the collision occurred.
FDNY officials said it’s standard procedure for a fire truck to turn its lights and sirens on while relocating in these scenarios.
“The procedure of relocating redistributes fire resources throughout the city to ensure immediate proper fire protection when that area is without coverage due to a fire or emergency,” the department’s statement continued.
Neighbors recalled the victim as a kind, upbeat man, who would always say hello from his porch, where he often sat with his wife. He leaves behind two sons, a daughter and a grandchild, they said.
“They were just good-hearted people. Genuine. The guy worked his whole life. He was retired,” Paloscio said. “They’ve been on that block since I’m a kid. They’ve been there 60, 70 years.”
Paloscio said Dandrea and his wife were one of the only local households that still gave out candy on Halloween.
Neighbor Theresa DeMattia, 76, said the victim worked in construction for many years.
“The sweetest person, very hardworking,” said DeMattia, who knew Dandrea for 50 years. “He was such a nice person. It’s very sad.”
Another longtime neighbor shared a similar sentiment.
“He’s such a positive, outgoing guy. Every time when we’d see him, he would always make nice comments, jokes. He loved to joke around,” Gary, 28, said. “I’ve known him since when I was a little boy and it sucks to actually see this happen.”
Aside from Dandrea’s wife, a 71-year-old man, 75-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man who were in the Lexus SUV, along with five firefighters from the fire truck, were also hospitalized in stable condition.
The van that collided with the fire truck belonged to Frontier HVAC, a Bensonhurst-based heating company, owner Michael Liu confirmed.
Liu said his 45-year-old driver was injured and his vehicle destroyed in the crash, adding that the van’s front half was ripped off.
“My driver is in the hospital,” said Liu, who spoke to his driver after the collision. “My van had a green light and the firefighters had a red. The firefighters’ truck was going very fast.”
Neighbor Marcello Ocello, 65, said a traffic light was installed at the location about 15 years ago after neighbors petitioned for one because of regular crashes at the intersection.
“It was always an accident, every week. So they finally put the light,” he said. “But I’ve been here 30 years, and I’ve never seen an accident this bad. Nothing like this.”
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