Woman Killed, Child Critically Hurt in Brookhaven Crash

A truck swerved across Montauk Highway in Brookhaven Tuesday afternoon and struck a minivan carrying nine people, killing a woman inside and critically injuring a young boy, police said.

The accident occurred shortly before 5 p.m. near Smith Road, police said.

According to police, a minivan carrying eight passengers was traveling westbound on Montauk Highway when it was struck by a truck traveling eastbound that swerved into the minivan’s lane. The collision caused the minivan to flip over.

A passenger in the van, Sandra Leon, 46, of Hempstead, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the truck, Gerard Demelfi, 28, of Shirley, and the driver of the minivan, Nieves Rivera, 37, of Patchogue, along with the other surviving passengers in the minivan were taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center or Stony Brook University Hospital with a varying degree of injuries. A young boy was critically injured. All the other injuries are non-life threatening, police said.

The vehicles were impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing.

Photo: NBC 4 report screenshot