Two drivers have been taken to hospital after a wrong-way driver caused a head-on crash in Mattituck, police said.
Southold Town Police said an 80-year-old man from Southold was driving east in the westbound lane of Route 48 near Elijah’s Lane on Wednesday night when his car collided head-on with another vehicle.
The man, Daniel Melhado, was driving a 2018 Ford. The other driver, Paris Ahmad, 23, of Brightwaters, was driving a 2020 Chevrolet westbound on Route 48, police said.
The crash was reported at 9:04 p.m. Melhado was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, while Ahmad was taken by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center. Police have not released details of their injuries.
Melhado had left his house at about 7 p.m. to pick up Chinese food, his wife told police. About an hour later, concerned that he had not returned, she called Southold Police, according to Southold Town Police Capt. Scott Latham.
Officers began searching several nearby restaurants before they were told about the crash, police said. The crash shut down the busy road while officers worked at the scene.
“It was serious enough that they closed the road, took measurements, and impounded the vehicles for safety checks,” Capt. Latham said.
The crash remains under investigation by Southold Town Police.
Source: The Suffolk Times
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