Woman, baby killed in LIE service road crash in Yaphank, Suffolk police say

An East Patchogue woman and her infant daughter were killed in a Thursday morning crash in Yaphank that also injured a school minibus driver and a bus monitor, Suffolk County police said.

The mother and daughter were identified by police on Thursday evening as Jacklyn Smoljan, 31, of East Patchogue and Joelaya Smoljan-Davenport, 1.

No children were aboard the bus when it was struck by a 2019 Nissan Sentra at about 7:35 a.m. at the intersection of County Road 101 and Express Drive South, the Long Island Expressway service road, according to police.

“It’s an unfortunate situation and we’re going to ask everybody to keep their prayers out for the families,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said Thursday morning during a news conference at the scene of the crash.

Police said bus driver Jose Ducos, 73, was driving the minibus southbound on County Road 101 when he attempted to make a left onto Express Drive South. The bus was struck by the Nissan Sentra, driven by Smoljan. The bus overturned and traffic cameras in the area showed both vehicles on a grassy shoulder near the intersection.

Smoljan was pronounced dead at the scene, Harrison said.

Smoljan’s daughter was in a car seat behind her mother, police said. She was transported to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue and later transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital,  where she was pronounced dead.

Ducos, of Medford, was transported by South Country Ambulance Company to Stony Brook University Hospital. The bus monitor, Aria Mingo, 61, of Bellport, was transported to Long Island Community Hospital by Yaphank EMS. Harrison said they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries that included broken bones.

Harrison said it was too early to determine if Thursday morning's rainy weather conditions were a factor in the crash. Suffolk police did not release additional information about the cause of the crash or other factors that may have contributed to the fatalities.

The bus was operated by Durham School Services, an Illinois-based transportation company.

“We are heartbroken to confirm that one of our buses was involved in a vehicle accident this morning on Route 101 in which a woman lost her life,” the company said in a statement. “... Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends impacted by this loss."

With John Valenti