Three recent accidents on local roads all underlined the dangers of distracted driving.
In one instance, on Oct. 27, Lisa-Jae Eggert of East Hampton was waiting to turn left from Springs-Fireplace Road onto Abraham's Path in Springs when her 2015 Chevrolet was struck from behind. Zoe Lindstrom-Ives of Sag Harbor, driving a 2018 Honda, told East Hampton Town police she'd glanced down at her phone to decline an incoming call and rear-ended the car in front of her. No one was injured in the accident, which occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m.
Carlos A. Pantosin of Amagansett also acknowledged to police that he'd looked down at his phone while driving. His 2011 Volkswagen, headed north on Gerard Drive in Springs at 12:40 a.m. last Thursday, left its lane and struck a utility pole, according to the report. Mr. Pantosin was not hurt in the crash.
It was the radio, not a cellphone, that distracted Daniel A. Briganti of Montauk at 11:55 a.m. last Thursday. Mr. Briganti, driving a 2018 Toyota on Napeague, told police he'd reached out to change the station and hit a real estate sign near Napeague Meadow Road. The Toyota was damaged, but there were no injuries.
It was raining on Oct. 28 when Christina Ann Terry of East Hampton tried to brake for a 2019 BMW in front of her, but her 2008 Chevrolet slid on the slick street and rear-ended it. The accident, on Three Mile Harbor Road near Springy Banks Road in East Hampton, left the BMW, driven by Charles D. Gropper of Weston, Conn., needing more than $1,000 in repairs, according to town police. Ms. Terry's car was not damaged, and neither driver was reported injured.
Josephine Barrera of East Hampton was headed south on Stephen Hand's Path on Oct. 27, when just before 5 p.m., her 2003 Honda rear-ended a small trailer towed by a white sport utility vehicle. Both drivers pulled to the side of the road initially, but Ms. Barrera told police that the driver of the S.U.V. left the scene without providing any contact or vehicle information. There was one witness, whose account was not included in the police report.
A head-on collision was reported on Sunday shortly after 7 p.m. on Montauk Highway near Cranberry Hole Road in Amagansett. Diego Armijos of Springs, driving a 2004 Subaru, drifted into the oncoming lane, according to police, and struck a 2014 Ford driven by James A. Richards of Montauk. It is unclear whether anyone was hurt, but both cars had to be towed.
Matthew B. Zukosky of Southampton, who works for the East Hampton Town harbormaster's office, was involved in an accident in a Marine Patrol vehicle at around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, while checking the beach at the Grace estate in Northwest. Mr. Zukosky told police he'd opened his door to get a better view of the terrain while avoiding a downed tree, but the door hit another downed tree that he hadn't seen. The impact knocked the door off its hinges, and it could not be closed. Damages to the truck, a 2014 Ford Pickup, were estimated at under $1,000.
Over the last nine days, six motorists reported hitting deer. Two collisions were in the same general area, on Route 27 by Beech Street in Montauk. A third happened in Sag Harbor on Hampton Street, near the elementary school, about 10 minutes before school let out for the day.
