Access-A-Ride passenger, 78, dies during chain reaction crash involving fire truck

A man, 78, was killed while a passenger inside an Access-A-Ride coach bus following a chain-reaction crash involving an FDNY fire truck in Gravesend March 10.

At 6:45 p.m., the fire truck was driving east on Avenue S with its lights and sirens on, according to police. As it approached West 11th Street, the truck was hit at the intersection by a 2020 Ford Transit Van driven by a man, 45, who was travelling north.

This collision caused the fire truck to careen into the westbound lane of Avenue S and slam into the Access-A-Ride bus. The bus then hit a 2015 Lexus R35 driven by a 71-year-old male.

The fire truck finally stopped after it hit a 2016 Chevy Malibu and a 2006 Toyota Highlander.

EMS transported Gravesend resident Placido Dandrea to NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, where he was later pronounced dead.

Six firefighters, three drivers, and four passengers were taken to local area hospitals and all of them were in stable condition. 

No arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing by the NYPD.

According to the Daily News, Dandrea’s daughter watched paramedics try to revive him at the scene.

“You think about it, just the way it works: They’re fifty feet away from their house, literally make a right turn and (you’re home),” she told the outlet. “It’s sad. That’s how quick life changes. That fast.”