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She Fell Asleep at the Wheel

Thu, 05/01/2025 - 11:35

Three drivers were injured last week in accidents on local roads.

Early on the morning of April 23. Bobbi Sayler of East Hampton, 69, was headed east on Montauk Highway in Wainscott when she fell asleep at the Town Line Road intersection. The car left the highway and hit a fire hydrant, damaging its front passenger side.

Ms. Sayler complained of head pain and was taken by ambulance to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for treatment. Springs Auto Repair towed her sedan to its shop on Springs-Fireplace Road in Springs.

Both the other accidents happened last Thursday. Ronald Merrill of East Hampton, 62, was at the wheel of a 2011 Ford pickup truck, driving along Accabonac Road, when, he told town police, he “felt something crawling on the back of his neck.” While trying to brush it off, he swerved off the road and hit a tree.

Mr. Merrill, complaining of whiplash, was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Hammer Towing took the truck away.

Another pickup truck, this time a 2005 Toyota, was involved in the third accident, on Stephen Hand’s Path in East Hampton. The driver, W.I. Mendez-Ramirez of Hampton Bays, 19, and a passenger, Alfredo Mendez-Niz, 44, were near Two Holes of Water Road when Mdabunaium Chowdhuri of Brooklyn, 26, approached in a sedan. Mr. Mendez-Ramirez later told police that Mr. Chowdhuri was drifting across the double yellow line and almost hit his truck head-on. He braked sharply, he said, and tried to get off the road, but his car was sideswiped.

Mr. Mendez-Ramirez added that the other driver may have been asleep at the wheel, and Mr. Chowdhuri told police he did not remember the moments leading up to the collision. According to the police report, the “vehicle placement and damage corroborates” this.

Mr. Mendez-Ramirez’s car sustained damage to the driver’s side and undercarriage, as did Mr. Chowdhuri’s.

Both Mr. Mendez-Ramirez and his passenger were unharmed. Mr. Chowdhuri, however, complained of chest and arm pain, and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital. Rob’s Towing & Transport took both cars to its garage in Springs.

Drivers, Cyclist Were Hurt

Four people were assessed by responders from the Montauk Fire Department, but declined further treatment, after they were struck by a woman trying to park her Honda sedan near the Montauk Brewing Company. Also in Montauk, a Volvo S.U.V. struck an e-bike on Main Street, resulting in injuries to the 13-year-old bicyclist.

Jul 31, 2025

On the Police Logs 07.24.25

A caller reported three youths lying “in the middle of Suffolk Street,” next to a black S.U.V., at around 3 in the morning on July 14 in Sag Harbor. The three told police they were waiting for a friend and were out on the street because their vehicle had no air-conditioning.

Jul 24, 2025

Crash on Napeague Stretch

Toyotas were on a tear this week, with four accidents on local roads resulting in injuries.

Jul 24, 2025

Felony Charges in Three Arrests

East Hampton Town police made three late-night arrests last week, all of them ending in felony charges, from assault to forgery to drug possession.

Jul 24, 2025

 

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