By Marlyn Montilla
Jun 29, 2024, 11:23 AM EDT
Four people were killed and nine others were injured after a minivan crashed into a nail salon on Long Island, specifically in Deer Park, on Friday afternoon, authorities reported.
The incident took place at a nail salon on Grand Boulevard around 4:42 in the afternoon, explained the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The car was parked towards the back of the room, leaving a large trail of destruction, according to a published video.
Likewise, the glass storefront was destroyed and the roof shattered in the crash and the minivan almost went out the other side of the business, one of the firefighters said.
Four people died at the scene and nine others, including the driver who struck the Long Island nail salon, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, some considered serious, officials said.
One of the injured was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
The deceased were inside the nail salon at the time of the accident, according to the NYPD. It is not yet known if they were clients or employees of the salon, Pix 11 reported.
“There were people trapped and we rescued them and transported everyone to area hospitals,” said Deer Park Deputy Chief Dominic Albanese. “They were trapped inside. Everyone was inside the hall.”
“It is awful. It is awful. It may be hard on the community and even harder on the volunteer fire department, but we know we will get through it,” Albanese added.
The cause of the crash is currently being investigated by the authorities.
A section of Grand Boulevard from Commack Road to Brandywine Drive was blocked to vehicle traffic.
A line of police vehicles lined the street as fire trucks and people surrounded the active scene.
A posted video showed several rescuers outside the nail salon to help the injured and remove the deceased.
It was not immediately clear whether the crash was intentional or not, nor was it known how many people were inside the minivan at the time.
The ages of the victims were not immediately available and Albanese could not confirm whether there were children among the victims.
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