By Sarah Moskowitz
"We heard a boom," said Maria. "We didn't know what it was and we were too scared to see what happened."
A 1993 Buick station wagon taxicab crashed into their home at 311 Broadway, breaking clear through the foundation into the basement. The driver, Marshall Wind, claimed he lost control of the car because the acceleration pedal got stuck as he traveled west on Scranton Avenue, according to Lynbrook Police Officer Brian Palladino. It caused Wind to run the red light at the Broadway-Scranton Avenue intersection where he struck another car and then jumped the curb into the Pugliese home.
The car belongs to Glen-Belle service taxi, operated out of Floral Park, Queens. According to Glen-Belle, their cars are inspected every four months. They said Wind's car was last inspected in August and had no reported problems. Wind was unavailable for comment.
Palladino arrived on the scene immediately. He said the accident did not seem intentional. Lynbrook, East Rockaway and Hewlett Fire Departments also assisted with general aid on the scene.
All five people in the taxi cab were transported to local hospitals by ambulances. Wind, from Douglaston, Queens was taken to Franklin General Hospital in Valley Stream. He was administered an alcohol test on the scene, which showed he was not under the influence.
The front passenger, a male from Oceanside, sustained a neck injury and a woman in the backseat, from East Rockaway, injured her back, said Lynbrook police. Both were transported to Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre within 15 minutes of the accident.
Two men, also in the backseat and both from Baldwin, went to South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside for observation.
A police report indicates that no passengers in the taxi cab were wearing seatbelts.
A 1998 Saturn that was stopped at a red light at the intersection was also hit and spun into the Friendly Petro gas station at the northeast corner, where no damage occurred. The driver, Lisa Nisito of Lynbrook, was uninjured.
The Pugliese's daughter, Celestina, 30, was in the basement moments before the taxi cab came through the wall. Luckily, she had stepped out of that room at the time of the accident.
Susan Brodsky, a crossing guard at the intersection of Scranton Avenue and Broadway, witnessed the event as it unfolded last week. She said the driver was "driving wildly" and that she is grateful no pedestrians were present.
"It was weird," said Brodsky. "It was like somebody was watching over. It's a very busy area."
Brodsky has manned the intersection for three years. She usually stands on the corner where the taxi cab mounted the sidewalk, but had crossed over to the other side of the street that day. She had to move to avoid being hit by the car that veered into the gas station.
"[Brodsky is] lucky to be alive," said another daughter of the Pugliese's, Fran, who preferred not to use her last name. Fran was not at the house when the accident occurred.
Brodsky assisted with those inside the car and said workers from Arrow Exterminating, down the block, were also very helpful. The crash cut off hot water and telephone lines to the Pugliese home. Long Island Power Authority turned off electricity to the house, owing to electricity lines being damaged. Repairs on the house began Sept. 20.
