By Joseph Kellard and Cris Italia
I heard a big boom and the whole building shook, and I didn't know what happened, said Lisa Musseo of Oceanside, who was ordering food when the truck hit the storefront. I saw the driver grab his head and a woman sitting at the table [where the truck hit] was turning pale and bleeding.
The accident occurred at 5:15 p.m., when Rolando Lazo, 34, of Patchogue, was heading northbound on Long Beach Road in a MICAmerica Furniture truck. He swerved to avoid colliding with both a car that he said cut him off and another automobile stopped in traffic, police reported.
Having lost control of the truck, Lazo hopped the curb, sideswiped a tree, and crashed into the store, shattering the four plate glass windows, damaging tables, and crushing a section of the roof's overhang.
I just heard a really loud crash, said Erica Tyler, a Nathan's employee who was working in the game room at the time. We didn't know what it was until we looked up front.
Inside, the five Nathan's customers who were harmed all sustained head injuries and minor bleeding. A 12-year-old boy, who sustained contusions and bruises to the head, and a 71-year-old woman, who suffered a concussion, were more seriously injured.
Three other women, ages 81, 52 and 37, each sustained non-life threatening injuries. Both Lazo and the passenger in the truck suffered minor abrasions and neck pain.
The boy, was airlifted to Nassau University Medical Center via a police helicopter that landed in Nathan's parking lot. All the injured were treated at either South Nassau Communities Hospital and Mercy Medical Center and later released.
The other woman at the table [where the truck hit] was hyperventilating, said Jeanne-Marie Monaco, who was also in Nathan's at the time of the crash. People were screaming. Everyone was in shock. I was really scared, so I got right out of the store.
Our investigation of the scene shows that the vehicle was airborne when it hit the tree, said Det. William Butler of the Fourth Precinct.
By hitting the tree he probably slowed himself down a bit, which may have prevented more serious injuries, said Officer King of the Fourth Precinct.
Across the street, and employee of Maxim Tours looked out the window as the truck jumped the curb. I heard a wheel hopping, but that's not unusual to hear on Long Beach Road, Karen Koch said. As soon as I looked out the window I saw the truck slamming through [Nathan's].
Prior to the accident, Lazo had finished his deliveries for the day and was heading back to MICAmerica in Bay Shore when the accident occurred, said Jared Fenigstein, co-owner of the furniture company.
When I got to Nathan's, there was a woman laying on the floor under the table who was told not to move, said a witness. There was food and soda all over the cab, and when the police officer asked the driver what happened, he said, I wasn't paying attention.'
Six weeks ago, Nathan's re-opened after its interior was renovated with new countertops, walls, floors, tables, seats and booths.
After the truck was removed from the scene and impounded on Wednesday evening, Nathan's employees worked through the night removing the broken metal, glass and other debris. The next morning the damaged storefront was border up and the restaurant's doors were opened for breakfast.
The damages are being assessed now and they will begin repairing them immediately upon getting a really clear understanding of what is the best way to fix it up. It's not going to be a lengthy time at all, said George Shea, president of Shea Communications, a public relations firm for Nathan's.
Last Friday, Mercy reported that the 71-year-old woman was in stable condition, but NUMC was unable to released information on the boy since no parental consent was given.
No criminal charges were filed against Lazo, nor were summonses issued to him, Det. Butler said.
Thankfully, there were no fatalities. That's the main thing, he added.
We're very concerned for all the people who were injured, Fenigstein told the Herald. Our best wishes and thoughts are with them and we would love to see them have a speedy recovery. This was an unfortunately accident, and we are all suffering with them.
