Multivehicle Accident in Melville Injures 12

At around 8:10 this morning, a van carrying 12 people crashed  into a tree at 60 Maxess Rd by Baylis Road, said Dix Hills Fire Department assistant chief Tom Magno.

It was the Melville Fire Department's call, and the chief did a great job coordinating the scene, said Magno. "He had his hands full," he added.

The DHFD, East Farmingdale and Plainview were all called in for mutual aid. Ten ambulances were there, two from DH, besides Melville's, Magno said. 

"We were all surprised to find 12 people in one van. It was scary to think about that many people in one vehicle," he added. Magno assumes they were people going to work and that they didn't negotiate the icy roads well and went headfirst into a tree. 

All 12 victims were transported to area hospitals: nine to Plainview and three to Nassau County Medical Center.

"Because of the severity of their injuries those three needed to go to the trauma center," Magno said. 

"It was a very hectic scene. The chief of Melville did a great job," Magno said.