Wayne Carrington
LONG ISLAND NIGHTMARE: This Nassau County bus killed a Hempstead boy asleep in his bedroom last night.
A bus crashed into a home in Hempstead, LI, last night, killing a 6-year-old boy and injuring his 7-year-old brother — both of whom were sleeping peacefully inside.
“He was just in a bad spot,” said Hempstead Police Sgt. Mark Kirichenko, referring to the younger boy.
Eleven people on the bus and a pedestrian were also injured.
The tragedy occurred around 9:30 p.m. when the driver of a Nassau Inter County Express bus swerved to avoid striking a pedestrian, officials said.
The driver honked his horn three times, but the pedestrian continued crossing against the light, according to a police spokesman.
“He tries to avoid him and is forced to make a hard right turn, hops the curb and strikes the house,” the spokesman said.
José Antonio Villagran, 50, who lives in the Fulton Avenue home, said, “I was sleeping when suddenly, the big crash happened.”
“I heard a big boom and I thought it was the end of the world,” Villagran said.
He and another resident, Edgar Laso, saw the 6-year-old pinned by the bus and rushed to the child’s aid.
“Some of us tried to save the baby,” said Laso.
The boy, whose name was withheld, later died at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, cops said.
The victim’s older brother was also rushed to that hospital. A family friend said that boy’s injuries appeared minor.
The bus also hit the pedestrian — who was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center in East meadow in critical condition.
Carlos Lopez said he spoke to a witness who said the pedestrian had just left a 24-hour Laundromat when he was struck.
There were at least 20 passengers on the Route N70 bus when the accident occurred.
Police said that no criminality was suspected.
“NICE is cooperating with police officials, and has its own team investigating the incident,” a spokesman for the bus company said.
NICE was taken over by Veolia Transportation on Jan. 1 after Nassau County switched from the MTA, which had operated buses in the county for 37 years.
County Executive Edward Mangano decided on Veolia after the MTA said that Nassau needed to pay $26 million more for the bus services.
Nick Stein
Paramedics tend to one of the victims.
Bus-crash horror kills boy, 6, in home
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Bus-crash horror kills boy, 6, in home
