CAR CRASHES INTO RESTAURANT SIGN, STRIKES GAS LINE CBS 6 Albany October 22, 2007 - 2:41PM
CBS 6 is on the scene of a one-car accident in front of Newest Lunch Bar & Grill, where a gas line was struck and is now erupting natural gas.
Curry Road west of 146/Stewart Street has been shut down by police, and motorists are being advised to avoid the area for the next few hours.
The accident occurred when a car veered off the road and crashed into the restaurant's sign and also hit the gas main.
The vehicle is sitting on top of the gas main, and Rotterdam police are working carefully to remove the car to shut off the gas without risking an explosion.
"There's a considerable safety risk," Lt. Mike Brown told CBS 6. "If there were to be a spark, there could be an ignition of gas."
Three people were seriously injured in the accident.
Traffic on Altamont Avenue is flowing while police work on Curry Road. They have told CBS 6 they expect to locate the pipe by 3:20 p.m.
"We've evacuated all of Capital Plaza at this time and we're monitoring the levels of gas that have gotten into the building; that's also a safety factor as well," said Brown.
Police expect to re-open Curry Road shortly after 6 p.m. (changed from the previous estimate of 4 p.m.), at which point they will allow residents and workers to return to their homes and businesses in the area.
According to Lt. Brown, the driver of the vehicle may have been suffering from a medical problem which police believe to be a major factor, if not the cause, in the crash.
Check back at cbs6albany.com for updates and tune in to CBS 6 beginning at 5:00 for more.
Two killed in Rotterdam crash Minivan runs into sign at shopping plaza, which was evacuated after has line severed
By MARC PARRY, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. Monday, October 22, 2007
ROTTERDAM -- Two people are dead after a minivan driving down Curry Road struck a business sign, also severing a gas line, Monday afternoon, police said.
Rotterdam police were still trying to figure out the full name of one of the crash victims Monday evening, said Lt. Michael Brown. Police won't release any names or say where the victims were from until their families are notified, Brown said.
The one-car accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. in Rotterdam, police said. A minivan carrying three people was heading east on Curry Road near Altamont Avenue when it failed to follow a curve in the road, Brown said. Instead, it plowed into a business sign in the parking lot of Capital Plaza.
It also struck and came to a stop on the shutoff valve for a gas line that comes up from the ground right under the sign, Brown said. That caused a gas leak that forced authorities to evacuate the plaza. The center has several businesses, Brown said, including Newest Lunch.
``If there was any type of spark or ignition, it could have set on fire,'' Brown said.
Witness reports suggest the driver may have suffered some medical condition that led to the accident, Brown said.
The victims one man and one woman, the driver and a backseat passenger were pronounced dead at Ellis Hospital. A third passenger was taken to St. Clare's, apparently with minor injuries, Brown said.
One westbound lane of Curry Road remained closed at Stewart Street, Brown said.
ROTTERDAM Van crash kills two, injures one Vehicle cuts natural gas line; bystander braves leak to turn off vehicle BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter
Two people in a van died Monday when the vehicle went out of control on Curry Road, crashing into a business sign and shearing off a natural gas line. One bystander took action, braving the spewing gas to turn off the van, which was still running as the gas leaked out. “He reached in, talked to him and said help was on the way,” witness Don Robar said. “He was right in there and turned the key off. “Finally, he said, ‘Look, I have to get away from here. Help is on the way.’ ” The man was not identifi ed by police. Arriving fi refighters suited up in protective gear with hoses ready and removed all three occupants from the van while the gas was still leaking, Rotterdam Police Lt. Michael Brown said. The van was traveling toward I-890 on Curry Road just before 2 p.m. Witnesses said it jumped a median at the intersection with Altamont Avenue and slammed into the base of the Newest Lunch sign. Both sides of the round sign were knocked to the ground. Pieces of the concrete base could be seen later lying far from the impact site, next to the Capitol Plaza building. The accident remained under investigation Monday evening, but police said the driver appeared to have been suffering from some kind of medical condition at the time of the crash. Pronounced dead after the accident were the driver, Richard Kenneally, 52, of South Glens Falls, and rear passenger Helen M. Donato, 73, of Voorheesville, police said. Both were taken to Ellis Hospital. Front seat passenger Elizabeth Kenneally, 56, also of South Glens Falls, suffered neck and back injuries. She was taken to St. Clare’s Hospital. The sheared-off gas line made reaching the victims more difficult, Brown said. But fi refighters were able to get them out while the line continued to leak. Rotterdam Fire Districts 2 and 3 volunteers responded to the scene. The van sat on top of the shutoff valve. Rather than moving the van, National Grid workers dug a trench nearby and crimped the line, officials said. The intersection was closed until about 4 p.m. Firefi ghters evacuated people inside the plaza. Air tests cleared them to return at about the same time the intersection was reopened. Robar and Russ Wiltsie were inside Vincy’s Printing, where both work as graphic artists. They heard the van coming. Wiltsie looked up just in time to see the van slam into the concrete base. He grabbed the phone. Others went to help, but the gas leak stopped them. “You could just hear it, smell it and see the stuff spraying from underneath,” Wiltsie said. “People wanted to help, but they were afraid. The vehicle was still running.” Brown said police know the identity of the man who turned off the van, but they declined to release his name. Tommy Plakas, owner of Newest Lunch, said the man was a customer at his establishment. He did not know who he was, but said, “I give him a lot of credit.” The Kenneallys were wearing their seat belts, Brown said. Police are still looking into whether Donato had one on. Brown said an autopsy would determine whether Richard Kenneally died of the apparent medical problem or the accident. MEREDITH L. KAISER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Rotterdam fi refighters remove one of three victims from a minivan that came to rest directly over a gas main after the driver crashed in to a sign in the parking lot of Capital Plaza at the intersection of Altamont Avenue and Curry Road in Rotterdam on Monday.
ROTTERDAM Officials say actions averted a disaster Police release details of deadly van accident BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter
In the moments before Monday’s van crash on Curry Road that left two dead and sent natural gas spewing into the air, the passengers struggled to bring the vehicle to a stop. The driver, Richard Kenneally, had just slumped at the wheel, his wife and sister-in-law in the van with him. Attempting to bring the van to a stop, Kenneally’s wife Elizabeth tried to take the wheel. Her sister, Helen Donato, tried to hold Richard back. To reach him from her back seat, she apparently removed her seat belt. Rotterdam police on Tuesday released the new account of what happened just prior to Monday’s accident that left Richard Kenneally and his sister-in-law Donato dead, and bystanders fleeing from escaping natural gas. The account, Rotterdam Police Department Lt. Michael Brown said, came from 56-year-old Elizabeth Kenneally of South Glens Falls, the only survivor. “Elizabeth tried to stop the car and steer the vehicle,” Brown said. “She explained to us that the back seat passenger attempted to hold him from obstructing the steering.” Elizabeth Kenneally was initially taken to St. Clare’s Hospital for treatment of neck and back injuries. She has since been taken to Albany Medical Center for injuries that were deemed to be more serious, Brown said. Family is with her. Her husband Richard, 52, was later pronounced dead of a heart attack; her sister, the 73-year-old Donato, died of trauma from the accident, police said, citing autopsy results. No bystanders were hurt in the 2 p.m. accident. Authorities credited a quick-thinking Schenectady man with helping make that happen. Brown identified 35-year-old John Tooley Jr. as the man who turned off the van’s engine, moments after impact, even as natural gas from a sheared-off line spewed around him, Fire officials said Tuesday that a running engine would have made an already dangerous situation that much worse. “He may have saved a disaster from happening,” Rotterdam District 2 Fire Chief Gary Smith said, adding later, “That was certainly brave on his part.” Tooley, owner of Tooley’s Towing, was on Curry Road, just behind the Kenneallys Monday afternoon. He knew something was wrong in the moments before the impact. The van was cutting across lanes and the driver was slumped, Tooley said. Despite the passengers’ efforts, the van slammed into the base of the Newest Lunch restaurant sign. In the process, it sheared off a 2-inch gas line. Tooley said he realized quickly that this was more than an accident. He parked his truck to block traffic and turned on his safety lights on top. Witnesses in the nearby Capitol Plaza heard the impact and rushed out. The escaping gas, however, prevented them from approaching, they said. They yelled for the occupants to turn off the engine. Tooley said he knew immediately what had to be done. “Natural gas was coming out. The last thing we needed was for the motor to be running,” he said. “I just had to do it as fast as possible, so nothing happened.” The driver was unresponsive, Tooley said. Both women were conscious at that point. “I tried talking to the women in the car to let them know help was on the way,” Tooley said. “The ladies were just asking for help.” Help soon came in the form of firefighters from Rotterdam District 2. But the danger didn’t stop with the turning off of the van’s engine. The gas line was still flowing. It wouldn’t be finally turned off until a trench could be dug nearby and the line crimped, something that wasn’t complete for more than an hour. Smith said fi refighters tried to minimize further risk by suiting up in full gear, including masks. Hoses were also at the ready, should a spark ignite the fumes. “We knew we had people in the car,” Smith said. “We couldn’t wait for National Grid. We had to go in and do what we were trained to do, try and save lives.” National Grid workers were on the scene within 20 minutes. The gas was finally shut off by 3:20 p.m., officials said. Tooley said he relied on his experience as a tow truck driver in responding. The job can result in some difficult situations, he said. He wished this one would have turned out differently for the family. A father of two himself, Tooley said his wife would rather have not heard the story. “She never wants to hear about any of it,” he said.
I just want to let everyone know that I am one of the survivors daughters. It is true there could have been many more fatalities this day, and I would like to thank this John Tooley Jr. personally. If not for him, who knows maybe my mom wouldn't have survived. My mom was brought to St. Clare's Hospital where they told her she was just having back spasms and were going to let her leave. 7 hours after she was taken in they finally did an xray which revealed "a couple" broken ribs... so, they did a CAT scan, which revealed much more was going on and they then sent her to Albany Medical Center. At Albany Medical Center they found my mom had broken most of her ribs had 2 collapsed lungs and broke some vertabre in her lower back. She needed chest tubes oxygen and was in serious condition for awhile. With prayer and family she is now healing at home with family. She has a long road ahead of her with healing physically and emotionally. The loss of her sister and her husband in the accident was devistating as you can imagine. As I said I want to thank Mr. Tooley from my whole family for being the angel who saved my moms life. You are in our hearts.
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amym8676, thank you so very much for sharing your story with us. I can't imagine how bittersweet this must be on you and your family. To experience the loss of loved ones and yet the miracle of Mr. Tooley, who was truly an angel. My prayers are with you and your family for healing both physically and emotionally. And a thankful prayer for Mr. Tooley. Please keep us updated!
Rotterdam honors Tooley, Samaritan ROTTERDAM — John Tooley Jr. ran to a crashed van and switched off the ignition as natural gas poured from broken line after an accident on Curry Road in October. The 35-year-old tow truck driver likely saved a number of lives by his quick action, which prevented the vehicle from causing an explosion near the Capitol Plaza. Town officials presented him with a plaque and citation at Wednesday’s board meeting. After board member John Signore read off the citation and shook Tooley’s hand, the good Samaritan received a round of applause from the crowd. The accident occurred after Richard Kenneally suffered a fatal heart attack while driving on Curry Road. Also killed was his sister-inlaw Helen Donato, from injuries suffered in the crash. Tooley’s actions likely saved Elizabeth Kenneally, who was badly injured and trapped in the van.
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