NICE Bus Crashes Into Fulton Avenue Home

Written by Rich Forestano, rforestano@antonnews.com Friday, 07 December 2012 00:00

Six-year-old boy killed,

7-year-old brother injured

What started out as a routine bedtime ritual turned into a horrific twist of fate all because allegedly, someone was not paying attention.

A 2009 Orion Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus traveling westbound on Fulton Avenue near Hofstra University crashed into a house after its driver tried to avoid hitting a pedestrian, police explained during a press briefing on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The bus, containing 11 passengers, killed David Granados, 6, and injured his 7-year-old brother inside the home last Tuesday at 9:15 p.m.

The brothers were transported to Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola. Granados was pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m., while his brother was treated for injuries to his arms, police stated.

The 10-year veteran bus driver, male, 50, honked several times at the 35-year-old pedestrian who crossed at an unmarked location in the four-lane road, police said. The bus hit the Hempstead man crossing north before the vehicle veered right and slammed into the two-story dwelling. Nassau County Police Inspector Kenneth Lack would not confirm nor deny if the pedestrian would be charged in the incident.

Eight of the bus passengers were injured, according to police. Police said that three adults and two children were upstairs while four adults and three children were downstairs at the time of the accident. The pedestrian was transported to Nassau University Medical Center.

The home is near a four-lane section of the street at the end of Nassau Place. A traffic light is directly in front of the house near a three-way intersection.

 “Generally, you would want to cross at a light with a crosswalk in an area where people are expecting to see pedestrians,” Lack stated. “In this particular area, in the vicinity of Tennessee Avenue and Nassau Place, there is no crosswalk.”

The 6-year-old was struck by debris, police said. Authorities confirmed that there’s “no apparent criminality” but the investigation is continuing.

“There is no reason to believe at all that the driver was intoxicated or speeding,” Lack said. “[The pedestrian] was unresponsive to several attempts by the bus driver to blow the horn.”

Lack was unsure if the man noticed the bus at all. He stated further that the pedestrian suffered multiple rib fractures, a fractured right clavicle and skull fractures. Police declined to say if the man was intoxicated.

“That is part of the investigation and I can’t really comment on that right now,” said Lack.

A statement from NICE said they are cooperating with police and have dedicated a team to investigate the crash. The bus was impounded for brake and safety checks, according to police.

Attempts by the Floral Park Dispatch & Three Village Times to speak to the Granados family outside the home were unsuccessful.