Six die during deadly day for collisions on LI

An early-evening crash Sunday that police say killed the two occupants of an out-of-control vehicle in Hauppauge capped a deadly day for collisions that killed six people on Long Island - all in single-vehicle crashes.

In addition to the two men in Hauppauge who died in the evening, a cabbie from Brentwood, a Shirley woman and a Freeport man were killed Sunday morning after each lost control of a vehicle. Also, a North Babylon man fleeing a police traffic stop died when he crashed his car during the officer's pursuit, police said.

The taxi driver, Leon Williams, 55, of Brentwood, was driving a cab for Tommy's Taxi about 5:40 a.m. on Brentwood Road when he lost control and the vehicle hit a utility pole.

Det. Sgt. William Rand of the Third Squad said Williams had just dropped off a fare at the Brentwood Long Island Rail Road station when the crash occurred.

"He didn't hit the curb; he just veered off to the right and hit a LIPA pole," Rand said.

Williams, who police said had been driving for Tommy's Taxi of Bay Shore since June, was the only occupant of the 2002 Chevrolet Impala. He was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where he was pronounced dead.

An employee who answered the phone at Tommy's Taxi declined to comment.

Shaheed Mohammad, who is married to Williams' niece, said Williams was married and had a daughter. Mohammad said Williams was a "good man" who cared for his family. "He was a hardworking man all his life and he was just earning an honest living at the time this unfortunate accident occurred," Mohammad said.

Police are searching for anyone who might have witnessed the crash. Anyone with any information should call the Third Squad at 631-854-8335.

About an hour later, Velyzhia Albarran, 33, of Shirley lost control of her 1995 Honda Civic as she was driving east on Express Drive South in Holtsville. Her vehicle careened into the woods between Express Drive South and the Long Island Expressway, police said. Albarran, who was alone in the car, died at the scene.

A stay-at-home mom with three children, she was returning home after attending a baby shower, said family members. She'd served in the U.S. Marine Corps, they said, and had been with her husband, Alvin Albarran, since they were high school students in Puerto Rico. Her mother, who asked to be identified by her first name, Vilzza-O'Mara, said her daughter, rather than saying hello when greeting someone, would give a bear hug and ask, "Do you have any chocolate?"

"She was always laughing. Always had something positive to say. She was a good mom," Vilzza-O'Mara said. "She will definitely be missed."

Shortly after 12:30 a.m., Michael Galloway Sr. of Freeport was driving his 2006 Yamaha motorcycle west on Sunrise Highway when he lost control at the entrance to the Meadowbrook State Parkway and struck a sign, police said. Galloway was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at 2 a.m., said police, who were unsure whether he had been wearing a helmet. The motorcycle and both cars were impounded for safety checks.

In the Hauppauge crash, a 2008 Lexus driven by Frank Rizzo of East Northport went out of control on Veterans Memorial Highway at an entrance to the H. Lee Dennison government building. The car hit a tree, rolled over and hit another tree, police said. Detectives said preliminary results indicate the car was speeding.

Rizzo, 30, was killed instantly. His passenger and friend, Joseph DiFiore, also 30, of Washington Township, N.J., was ejected from the vehicle and died at Stony Brook University Medical Center, said Det. Sgt. John Twiname of the Fourth Squad Detectives. Twiname asks that anyone who saw the crash call 631-854-8452.

With Carl Corry and

Will Van Sant