Cops: Spider To Blame for East Hampton Village Accident

Update, 11:40 a.m.: East Hampton Village police said it was a spider that caused a single-car crash on Main Street Wednesday morning. 

Captain Mike Tracey, who responded to the accident at about 10:30 a.m., said the driver of a sedan was heading east on Main Street when she spotted the spider creeping down her windshield. "She swatted at it, and when she swatted at it she lost control," he said. "She hit the pole and the car spun up onto the sidewalk and hit the tree." 

The car, which had major front-end damage, came to rest in the front yard of 195 Main Street, breaking part of a white picket fence. Parts of the village lamp post that the car hit were strewn about the side of the road, along with part of the car. 

The woman, who was treated by East Hampton Village Ambulance Association personnel, suffered only minor injuries, Captain Tracey said. 

"Very lucky, though," Captain Tracey said of the driver. "If you hit the tree head-on you would not be surviving it." 

A witness, who had been walking on the sidewalk, was crying as emergency workers arrived. She said after the accident the driver got out of the car on her own and tried to walk toward c/o The Maidstone, a hotel just a few doors away, to call police. 

Main Street, which was briefly closed between Woods and Buell Lanes, was reopened to traffic after the car was towed away.

Originally, 11 a.m.: Traffic was diverted off of Main Street in East Hampton Village after a car accident on Wednesday morning. 

A car reportedly crossed into the opposite lane of traffic, struck a street lamp, and spun around before coming to rest in the front yard of 195 Main Street, according to a witness. The East Hampton Village Ambulance Association was treating the female driver at the scene after they were called at about 10:25 a.m. She reportedly had minor injuries. 

The exact cause of the crash was not immediately known. 

The East Hampton Village police shut down east and westbound traffic on Main Street. Westbound traffic was rerouted down Buell Lane, which is also Route 114, while cars headed east were rerouted at the traffic light to James Lane. 

With Reporting by Kelly Stefanick