Officials: 2 in West Hills escape car that hit tree, ignited
Officials said a car caught fire after it struck a telephone pole on Chichester Road in Huntington on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. A man and the woman in the car were injured but able to escape the vehicle. Credit: Philip M. Orlando
A man and a woman were injured Sunday after their car hit a tree on a winding road in West Hills and caught fire, officials said Monday.
A male driver, 29 and female passenger, 24, were taken to Huntington Hospital by Huntington Community First Aid Squad, said Andrea Golinsky, public information officer for the squad.
“They hit a . . . [tree], smelled smoke and self-extricated from the vehicle,” Golinsky said. “Luckily their injuries were minor enough that they could get out of the car when they did smell smoke.”
Golinsky said the squad sent two ambulances and a first responder to the scene, where they found the woman lying in a nearby driveway complaining of back and neck pain. The man was walking around but had some abrasions and was complaining of pain to his knee, Golinsky said.
Huntington Manor Fire Department also responded to the scene. “What we found was a single car, fully involved,” Huntington Manor Fire Department Chief Mike DePasquale said.
Suffolk police temporarily closed down a portion of Chichester Road near Sweet Hollow Road in West Hills where the crash took place around 11:20 p.m. Sunday.
