Skip to main content

She Fell Asleep at the Wheel

Thu, 05/01/2025 - 11:35

Three drivers were injured last week in accidents on local roads.

Early on the morning of April 23. Bobbi Sayler of East Hampton, 69, was headed east on Montauk Highway in Wainscott when she fell asleep at the Town Line Road intersection. The car left the highway and hit a fire hydrant, damaging its front passenger side.

Ms. Sayler complained of head pain and was taken by ambulance to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for treatment. Springs Auto Repair towed her sedan to its shop on Springs-Fireplace Road in Springs.

Both the other accidents happened last Thursday. Ronald Merrill of East Hampton, 62, was at the wheel of a 2011 Ford pickup truck, driving along Accabonac Road, when, he told town police, he “felt something crawling on the back of his neck.” While trying to brush it off, he swerved off the road and hit a tree.

Mr. Merrill, complaining of whiplash, was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Hammer Towing took the truck away.

Another pickup truck, this time a 2005 Toyota, was involved in the third accident, on Stephen Hand’s Path in East Hampton. The driver, W.I. Mendez-Ramirez of Hampton Bays, 19, and a passenger, Alfredo Mendez-Niz, 44, were near Two Holes of Water Road when Mdabunaium Chowdhuri of Brooklyn, 26, approached in a sedan. Mr. Mendez-Ramirez later told police that Mr. Chowdhuri was drifting across the double yellow line and almost hit his truck head-on. He braked sharply, he said, and tried to get off the road, but his car was sideswiped.

Mr. Mendez-Ramirez added that the other driver may have been asleep at the wheel, and Mr. Chowdhuri told police he did not remember the moments leading up to the collision. According to the police report, the “vehicle placement and damage corroborates” this.

Mr. Mendez-Ramirez’s car sustained damage to the driver’s side and undercarriage, as did Mr. Chowdhuri’s.

Both Mr. Mendez-Ramirez and his passenger were unharmed. Mr. Chowdhuri, however, complained of chest and arm pain, and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital. Rob’s Towing & Transport took both cars to its garage in Springs.

Justice Irace: ‘You Are a Risk’

A 67-year-old East Hampton woman accused of driving her car into two teenage traffic control officers in Sag Harbor Village on May 17 pleaded not guilty to four charges — endangering the welfare of a child, harassment in the second degree, leaving the scene of an accident, and reckless endangerment — when she was arraigned Friday in front of Village Justice Carl Irace. 

Jun 12, 2025

Left-Hand Turns Went Badly

Negligent left turns were blamed for two recent vehicle collisions that resulted in injuries, and a negligent merge for a third.

Jun 12, 2025

Vehicle Drives Into Sag Harbor Restaurant

A silver Honda attempting to park Monday afternoon in a handicapped space in front of the restaurant Lulu in Sag Harbor drove over the curb, onto the sidewalk, and into the building, knocking aside tables in the outdoor seating area. 

Jun 5, 2025

Wielding a Samurai Sword

With a black Samurai-style sword in hand, a 33-year-old man from Newburgh, N.Y., allegedly threatened another man on Saturday night near Camp Hero on Coast Artillery Road in Montauk. His target locked himself in his car and called police as the sword-wielder approached. 

Jun 5, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.