Beetle Crashes Into Tractor-Trailer

Update, Oct. 2, 11:30 a.m.: The driver of a Volkswagen Beetle that rammed into the back of a tractor-trailer on Route 114 in East Hampton Friday evening escaped without injuries, though the car was destroyed.

Judith Berger, 70, of East Hampton was driving on Route 114 just north of Stephen Hand’s Path at about 5:50 p.m. when she hit a 2001 Mack tractor-trailer that was stopped on the side of the road. Ms. Berger told East Hampton Town police that sun glare impeded her vision.

It was unclear why the truck was on the shoulder, though another truck was stopped on the opposite shoulder, and the two drivers may have been talking.

East Hampton Fire Department Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. said his department disabled the Volkswagen’s electrical system, put down Speedy Dry oil absorbent to soak up leaking fluids, and assisted with traffic control. An East Hampton Village ambulance also responded.

Ms. Berger refused medical attention. The driver of the truck, Peter Choi, 55, of Flushing, was not injured.

No tickets were issued. 

Original, Sept. 26, 7:01 p.m.: A car rammed into the back of a tractor-trailer on Route 114 in East Hampton Friday evening. The driver, an elderly woman, was not injured, according to police on the scene, but shaken after her car was destroyed. 

The woman's Volkswagen Beetle struck the tractor-trailer, which appeared to be stopped on the shoulder when it was hit, just north of Stephen Hand's Path, at about 5:50 p.m. Significant sun glare was reported at the scene.

The East Hampton Town police, the East Hampton Village Ambulance Association, and chiefs from the East Hampton Fire Department responded to the call, but no injuries were reported.

With Reporting by David E. Rattray