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New York Medic, Civilian Killed in Ambulance, SUV Crash
A luxury SUV crashed head-on into a private ambulance on Staten Island last night, killing two people including a retired EMS lieutenant, and injuring two others, authorities said.
The unidentified driver of the SUV, a BMW, was ejected and died instantly after it crossed the median on Hylan Boulevard and slammed into the ambulance at 7:05 p.m.
David Ford, who was driving behind the ambulance, said, “He wasn’t moving, I knew he was dead.”
Retired NYPD Officer Joe Bonamo said, “There was a big cloud of smoke.
“I pulled over to assist the ambulance, just trying to help.’’
He said he saw its driver pinned inside.
That driver, David Restuccio, a 58-year-old former EMS lieutenant who was a first responder on 9/11, died at Staten Island University Hospital, officials said.
The second paramedic, Yusuke Yonehara, 34, and the ambulance patient, a man in his 30s, were listed in stable condition at the same hospital.
Robert Genco was driving his Dodge Neon next to the ambulance when his vehicle was clipped.
“I’m really lucky — a second later, that could have been me,” he said.
Republished with permission of The New York Post.
