One Injured in Cedar Street Accident

In a three-car evening mix-up on April 14 at Cedar Street and Stephen Hand's Path in East Hampton, an 18-year-old East Hampton driver identified by police as W.A. Minchalabernal was injured after his car hit another vehicle and then struck a tree.

Police said that Mr. Minchalabernal was headed south on Cedar Street in his 2016 Nissan when he tried to avoid striking a 2001 Ford being driven by Douglas Clayman of Smithtown, 56, who was entering the intersection at the same time.

In trying to avoid the Ford, Mr. Minchalabernal hit a 2021 Subaru, driven by Jean Hodgens of East Hampton, 30, who was at a stop sign at Stephen Hand's Path and Cedar Street, and then hit a tree. The impact deployed Mr. Minchalabernal's Nissan's airbag.

Ms. Hodgens told police that Mr. Minchalabernal was trying not to hit Mr. Clayman's vehicle, which "went around another truck which was stopped at the opposite intersection of Stephen Hand's Path and Cedar Street."

All parties said they saw Mr. Clayman stop initially and then leave the scene, they told police. Southampton Town police caught up to Mr. Clayman and issued him a citation. Mr. Clayman said he had gone around the truck that Ms. Hodgens had seen, "because he believed it was turning." He also said Mr. Minchalabernal was driving fast.

The 18-year-old was taken by East Hampton Ambulance to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for pain in his arm and mouth. His car was towed by V & V Auto Services.

When a 10-yard waste container fell off a Mickey’s Carting truck and landed upside down on Buell Lane in East Hampton Village last Thursday morning, the truck driver, Eudy Guerrero Ruiz of Montauk, was cited by police for not securing the cargo with a safety chain and for driving an uninspected vehicle. He was able to get the container off the roadway and will appear in court on April 23.

Other traffic arrests in East Hampton Town last week included those of Samuel Squires of Southampton, Uberney Blancopaez of Montauk, and Ioannis Kostalas of East Elmhurst, each of whom was booked for allegedly operating with suspended registration.

Marco Bravovanegas of Hampton Bays and Erik Lundeegaard of Lindenhurst were charged with aggravated unlicensed driving. Juan Loja of East Hampton was arrested for driving with neither license nor registration, police said. All will appear in court on April 28.

The only other injury on the roads was to at least one deer, hit on Flamingo Avenue near Manor Road around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.