Hampton Jitney, garbage truck drivers hurt in Southampton crash

A driver whose garbage truck collided with a Hampton Jitney bus in Southampton early Monday was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, officials said.

Southampton Town police are investigating the 4:37 a.m. crash west of County Road 39A and David Whites Lane between a 2004 Mack truck owned by National Waste Service and the bus.

Police said the bus was attempting to leave the Hampton Jitney depot off County Road 39A when it collided with the garbage truck, driven by Ezio Vessella, 45, who was traveling westbound.

Vessella was taken by Southampton Village Ambulance to the Stony Brook University campus in Southampton, where he was taken by a Suffolk police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Police did not provide details on Vessella's injuries, but a hospital spokesman said he is in "good condition."

The bus driver, Quincy Lassiter, 53, of Central Islip, was taken by Southampton Village Ambulance to Southampton Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released, police said.

The Suffolk County police motor carrier safety unit performed safety checks on each vehicle. The garbage truck was ticketed for exceeding a weight limit; the bus driver also was issued a summons for an undisclosed violation, Southampton Town police said.

No criminal charges have been filed, police said.

It marks the second serious crash in the area involving a Jitney bus in less than a week. On Thursday, a Hampton Ambassador Jitney bus was involved in a head-on collision that killed a 29-year-old mother of two from Shirley.

With John Valenti