3:05PM EST: UPDATE BELOW Hatzolah is on the scene of a major accident involving a vehicle which crashed into a building at Franklin Avenue near Broadway. The building is housing the “Chanukah Wonderland”.
There are multiple patients injured – as many as 5 – including children. A medevac has been requested to respond as well as numerous Hatzolah Paramedics and multiple ambulances from as far away as Queens.
Injuries are reported to be serious, with one person possibly in traumatic arrest R”L.
UPDATE 3:30PM EST: Sources on the scene tell YWN that two vehicles – including an SUV – have crashed into the Chanukah Wonderland, and injured at least 12 people, some critically. Both vehicles are inside the structure.
The Chanukah Wonderland is a Chabad sponsored carnival for children and adults.
Nassau County Emergency Services have established a command post, and are still triaging injured patients at this time.
There is no reason to suspect foul play at this time, although the Nassau County Police Department has declared the incident a crime scene.
UPDATE 4:20PM EST: Eyewitnesses tell YWN that the SUV ended up at least 30 feet inside the building crushing children and adults under the vehicle. Prior to emergency personnel arriving on the scene, approximately 15 people lifted the vehicle to remove trapped victims.
UPDATE 6:00PM EST: (Click on image to ENLARGE Tehillim) Please be Mispallel for Yitchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Fagah who is in critical condition R”L and needs Rachmei Shomayim.
UPDATE 6:50PM EST: Additional two Tehillim names: Shmuel ben Tova, and Yehudis bas Tova – a brother & sister who both have severe head trauma.
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92 Responses
Will we find out if the people are okay? also, i am supposed to bring the children in my shul there tomorrow, will it be open? those of us in the five towns are waiting for more updated news.
Please G-d, not more tzoros. Bring Moshiach Now!
As a teen living in the five towns does anyone know if they need help, and or if they will be open tomorrow.
frankin place
ftgirl—if ur in the 5 towns- u can go there to see if they need help
ftgirl – can you worry about any aspect of this besides whether they will be open for you to take your kids? Maybe you should go over and help out if you live there!
i highly doubt they will be open tomorrow. 2 cars crashed through their building R”L.
Were the drivers Muslems?
Any information on the SUV driver? I have a bad feeling that this was intentional – either a Muslim out to kill Jews or a drunk Christian out to hurt Jews who dare to ignore Christmas.
Who cares if it is open tomorrow?!? People are hurt. Say tehillim instead of wondering if it will be open tomorrow! Two cars went crashing 30 feet into it crushing children and parents, and you are concerned if it will be open tomorrow. Unbelievable.
news reports are that the driver was an elderly man
heard it was an old man
I was just there. the head of chabad, whom i know personally,said 12 people were hurt, including one man and child who are seriously hurt. They do not need any more help, but many people there were traumatized.
in defense of ftgirl- she did not ask if it is open for her own kids- she seems to be responsible for a group of children as a shul event-
keep your bad feeling to yourself. right now it doesnt make difference
My friends brother in law is a volunteer fire fighter in lawrence cedarhurst and is on the scene. Waiting to hear from him and will then post an update.
It’s Franklin ‘Pl.’ not ‘Ave.’
I heard the driver was “elderly”…how many “elderly” people still drive when they really shouldn’t? My guess? A terrible accident, but I am always suspicious of age playing a part in such accidents. It may be that he had the cardiac arrest & lost control of the car.
Obviously I know as much as anyone else, but how many of us have seen elderly people driving unsafely? Yes, I know, young people have accidents, heart attacks, drive drunk etc etc. But I am in my mid-fifties & I KNOW my reflexes are not what they were when I drive. So I keep a far distance between me & the car in front, drive far slower than I used to do (good move there!) & generally, don’t trust my responses to be instantaneous as they once were. It’s part of the aging process. What I don’t understand is how many people in their 80’s still drive. Insane!!
May everyone have a Refuah Shleima! And don’t worry about whether it will be open tomorrow.
UPDATE @ 5:00PM: I’m typing with my friend on the phone in Cedarhurst who’s watching the TV (channel 2) & I can hear the audio…the driver is 78 & according to the TV, the accelerator &/or his health are suspect. 2 kids are critically injured. Car went “barrelling” down into the building…a man was trapped underneath & dragged a feet. (Channel 7)
Place, Avenue, who cares? I want more information on the drivers.
just give us the update please. save the shmooze for the coffee room
A True First-Hand Chanukah Miracle!!!
I had just pulled up at the location. Since my kids were sleeping, I left them in the car with my wife while I went across the street to purchase a drink. On my way back to the car, I peered straight into the very window that the car drove through. No sooner had I walked away from the window returned to my car when the incident happened….Had my children been awake when we arrived there, we would have all been inside the building…also, had I been at the very window another few moments, I would have been there at the time….a true Chanukah miracle,,,,may all victims have a speedy recovery!
So was it an accident or not? And how many cars went in, two or one? This sounds like a micro-9\11 job to me.
flatbush27, you are right, I should have kept my bad feelings to myself. I apologize to ftgirl.
two cars went into it. the driver of one was a 76 or 78 year old man. I think it was a traffic accident that went really bad
Was the Driver Muslim?
paktype I was there after it happened. I saw the jeep inside the building. A cop asked me to leave the area because they were calling it a crime scene. I told this to someone from hatzalah and he told me that even if its an accident its considered a crime scene until they deem otherwise. Lets hope it was an accident
“was the driver muslim?”
how about instead of looking for some way to turn a tragedy into a racist terrorist attack, you find out your facts first. More likely, the driver was a Jew. “Was he a self-hating Jew, then?” No! Old man + tough to control car + recent snow storm does not equal “they’re always out to get the Jews”
you really blame this guy for asking if te guy was Muslim? REALLY??? In this day and age is it so far fetched for a JEW to think a muslim did this. Whats wrong with you!?
It was an old man
its a tough corner. on an angle with slow lights. very plausible that it was an accident, people jump the light/speed up to make the yellow there all the time.
and as for franklin ave/pl, woodmere has both. once the report mentions a street, we might as well have the correct one.
refuah shelaima to all those hurt
A special thank you to all the Hatzolah Members, especially RLS-3 ALS
This whole thing is so ridiculous. Everyone has their own opinion for everything. Why can’t everyone just be worried and hope their friends are not hurt and that the injuries are just minor Instead of asking if it was a Muslim or a 70 year old man, it is all from Hashem so it doesn’t matter. And bestbubby, believe it or not, the older the driver the better. They have more experience. Also, I am sure they get their eyes checked every year before they drive or they would not be allowed to drive. We all make mistakes and with the bad weather anything could have happened. I hope that everyone here realizes that it was a Nes that no one was killed and that this whole thing was an accident whether the guy was 70 or not. They should have a refua shelaima.
Also, thanks to all the Hatzolah members that helped out.
Can we have the tehilim names?
So did two cars enter the building or only one? And after what happened in Mumbai, we have every right to ask if a Muslim was involved.
to #29 daniel1337: please write in english. i understand hebrew very well when its written in hebrew not in english or if anyone can translate it for me
Alizak28: the older the better is only until a certain age. younger ppl have better and faster reflexes than older ppl. older ppl have more experience but even so a 78 yr old man is not a better driver than a younger driver
It is really sad that a thing like this should happen but it is all from Hashem. My mother taecches only a few blocks from there (In Bnos Shalamit of the Five Towns)and is really upset about this.
For all those who dont know specific and accurate information please do not speculate, thats how rumors start and you may cause more damage than already done. Be patient and I am sure the true story will come out once the investigation is concluded.
Secondly I was on scene from the begining, I treated numerous patients, some critically,at the very least please please please daven for the welfare of these men women and children, instead of being so busy knowing the latest hock!!!!!!
beacon the tehilim names are posted on the last update up top
When I posted they weren’t there. Thanx
Hashem Yishmor. What a terrible tragedy. Does anyone know if the families of those injured need anything like childcare for children not injured or even food for shabbos?
i heard from a reliable source there will be Tehillim at Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv (in the 5 Towns) at 9:30 tonight.
The different news agencies state that an old man may have lost control of his car and slammed into a parked car, thus explaining why there were two cars involved. These things happen, R”L. You guys can’t be so blind and say, “Oh, I bet you it was a Muslim guy, a Christian guy,” etc. That’s how hatred towards other people begin. Wait until all the facts come out and hope that everyone involved is ok.
Tehillim at 9:15 at Sh’or Yoshuv (in the BMK). I received the e-mail.
According to thefivetowns.com, there will be tehillim at the YI of Hewlett at 9:00 PM tonihjt and at Shor Yoshuv at 9:15
Updates on Chabad Chanuka Wonderland Accident Victims:
Please daven and say tehillim for the following people who were injured:
Yitzchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Fayga: he is out of surgery. He is in critical, but stable condition.
Yitzchak Zev ben Masha Esha
Yaakov Zvi ben Sarah
Shmuel ben Tova
Yehudis bas Tova
(B”H Yakira Breindel bas Rochel was discharged from hospital this evening)
According to my daughter, who is keeping abreast of the developments, there is a name correction of one of the injured (it was an inadvertent combination of the names of two different injured people- the name, as first listed above, is, when corrected, the first two people on the list below), and an additional name, third in the list, as well.
Please pray for:
Yitzchok ben Hadassa
Devora Bas Feige
Yakira Breindel bas Rochel
Shmuel ben Tova
Yehudis bas Tova
The other names for tehillim are:Yitzchok zev ben masha esha, Yakoz Tzvi ben Sara, and Yakira Briendel bas Rochel(released from hospital but it won’t hurt to daven for her anyways)
Also, the yitzchack mentioned above is currently in surgery, so now is the best time to daven for him.
Thank you so much.
I just spoke with the mother of the children and b’h both of the children are in stable condition they are just being observed overnight and they are doing well… keep them in mind and thank you for all your tefillos and continue davening for cholei yisroel!
I just head from the mother herself that the two sibling are b’h out of surgery and are in stable condition! Thank you for all your tefillos and please keep them in mind and continue davening for all of Cholei Yisroel!
To #50 Top it-what are the names of the children you are referring to?
HaMakom Yeracheim aleihem b’soch sh’or cholei Yisroel. My family members were there, not 12 feet from the impact. B”H they are ok, but so many were injured and traumatized. The driver was an elderly man who says the accelerator was faulty and he lost control. That may be the case, but in general that area is potentially an accident waiting to happen as cars barrel round the bend at Irving Place or Franklin place, attempting to make the light. It is easy to lose control in such a case. I don’t know if that is what happened, but if the man was coming from one of those corners, it is a more likely scenario than a faulty accelerator. Let all the injured be well and have a refuah shelaima b’korov.
NO, the name was not incorrect.
Please pray for:
Yitzchok ben Hadassa Devora Batya Feige
It is not 2 separate people. That is one person, the exact name provided by his wife.
i would like to add a response to Alizak28 you are a hundred percent wrong about the older the driver the better. I personally know that my own grandfather may he live & be well, is these days a TERRIBLE driver. as a family we have done everything possibly to try to convince him to give up driving but short of putting him in jail we have not been able to as he is extremely stubborn. just because he passed an eye exam does not make him a good driver! not everything in life gets better with age & its important to age gracefully & accept that which we can no longer do. may the cholim have a speedy refuah shelaima & may all of klal yisroel only share in simchos.
This is not an error:
Please pray for “Yitzchok ben Hadassa Devora Batya Feige”
It’s not separate names though it’s long. Heard directly from his wife.
Please daven and say tehillim for Eitan Yochai ben Shirah Yafah as well.
The name of Yitzchok was not incorrect. Please, everyone say tehillim for all of the people, including Yitzchok ben Hadassah Devorah Batya Feige
I would like to thank YWN for putting tehillim right on the page, and encourage them to do so by every article that contains names for tehhilim.
This is in response to “thnkngboutu” with the stubborn grandfather still driving. We had the same problem with our mother and rather than wring our hands and do nothing while she ploughs into a croud of innocents we followed her at a distance and called the police on her when she drove the wrong way down a side street as a citzen complaint. The police were very nice to her but they had her leave her car and call one of us to come pick her up. We were able to be sympathetic but firm as the Police made it clear to her that after following her they felt she was a danger to herself and others. I am constantly amazed in the 5 towns at the amount of horrible senior drivers, we have a nickname for them in our house: Mr. & Mrs. Magoo. Most “never had an accident” but caused many and sideswiped parked cars but never realized it(mine included twice!).
If you have a dangerous sr. driver you must see this as a wake up call and do something about it!
An elderly driver totalled my wife’s car while she drove with my two kids to the JCC in Lawrence. He just ran a red light because he didn’t notice it was red.
Of course the laws will never be changed to require inspection of drivers because the elderly would vote it down and the children of the elderly who don’t want to be stuck driving them would vote it down as well.
Sad, truly sad, that incidents like this have to happen to bring this issue to the forefront.
kd from Woodmere #59…you are very smart! It’s a great idea! This way the police are nice & you aren’t the bad guys! Too bad other people are afraid to do what’s right. The man who drove into the Chanukah House will be devastated I’m sure…a terrible accident, but again, a 78 year old does not belong behind a wheel, especially a heavy car like an SUV. If his kids had stopped Gramps from driving this wouldn’t have happened. I don’t care how fit he is, he’s an old man. That’s a fact. Old people are slower in reactions.
It gets me to tears, Yiddishe kinder are in severe pain, one was even trapped under the SUV, now struggeling for their lives, broken bones, the pain, the broken hearts of their parents, Hashem Yerachem, They should all recover with a refuah shelima.
My daughter in law and kids were there- she is traumatized- is there a hotline or referral service so she can see someone to talk to? She has Post Traumatic Stress
UPDATE from Yeshiva South Shore’s Rosh Yeshiva:
Please Be MispallelToday’s Accident in WoodmereUpdate on today’s accident.I have just returned from the hospital. Yitzchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Fayga, is in serious but stable condition. His daughter Yakirah Breindel bas Rochel is Boruch Hashem Hiome.Rivka bas Chana is recovering from multiple injuries and her son Daniel bas Rivka is doing Boruch Hashem better.If you would like to send them and their families messages of Chizuk. Please email them to [email protected] and I will hand deliver them. Or fax to 516-374-9376 by 11 AM Friday 12/26Please also have in mind Shmuel ben Tova and Yehudis bas Tova – a brother &sister who both have severe head trauma.Please also have in mind Yitzchak Zev ben Masha Ehsha and Yaakov Zvi ben SoraL’refuah Shlaima b’Toch Sh’ar Cholei YisraelRabbi Mordechai KamenetzkyRosh Yeshiva
Ok people here’s the real story as to what happened earlier. (I was there). there was an elderly man at the age of 72, park across the street from the chanukah wonderland. when he went to pull out of his parking spot his floor mat got caught between the gas peddle and the brake. so the the gentleman was trying to brake he was also (without realizing) simultaneously pressing on the gas peddle. Causing the car to spin out of control and into the wonderland. where he came to a stop at the other end of the building. As for the comments before about his religion he was Jewish not Muslim. and all this tragic happening was, is a severe traffic collision.
That (Post #64) was from an email sent to South Shore parents. at least two of the victims are affiliated with (as parents or talmidim of ) Yeshiva of South Shore
First and foremost, we pray for the speedy recovery of those who have been injured.
Then we look toward what may have caused the accident without making ‘pre-judgements!’
I know the streets of Woodmere because I lived there for 30 years.
From all reports so far it appears to be a simple accident in which an elderly man lost control of his vehicle.
It now seems to be happening more often because people are living longer (thank goodness) and thinking that they can still drive when they should be off the road.
We had eleven people killed by an 88 year old man driving at speed through a Santa Monica Farmer’s Market one Sunday a few years ago.
If the Woodmere accident is similar, then I think it’s time to begin to save a few lives by stricter supervision of elderly drivers!
Let’s first pray for the rapid recovery of those who were injured.
Then we can seek the cause in an orderly manner.
A terrible tragedy on such a joyous holiday!
Signed; Zoognisht
nice response feom the “Q” team and 07
I strongly feel that Hashem is not happy with us. There are too many things happening, one after another. Thirty days ago we had the Mumbai massacre and now this tragedy at Woodmere. Maybe somebody could shed some light in this festival of lights!
to kislev20-Chai Lifeline Crisis Intervention Service may be helpful:
Dr.Norman Blumenthal- 646-763-0627
Mrs. Zahava Farbman- 516- 993-0430
Bracha v’hatzlacha. May all involved have a speedy refuah shelaima.
response to #63: unfortunately, others are impacted by the trauma as well. Hashem Yishmor. A local trauma therapist, Moshe Borowski, was called in to work with families that are seeking guidance. 5Towns Chabad website has organizations available to help listed at right-hand side of the following link:
http://www.chabadfivetowns.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/798445/jewish/CAR-ACCIDENT-RESPONSE.htm
BS”D
To Kislev20:
1-718-HELP-NOW – Yitti Leibel Help Line – if they don’t have someone who can help on the phone they will refer you. Sorry I did not see this earlier or I would have responded as soon as you posted – I’m in EY time zone.
Hey guess what sheeple? If the driver’s name was John Smith or Albert Rosenbaum, they would have no problem publishing his name as soon as the cops opened up his wallet. It’s a safe bet that this 70-year old driver is something like Muhammad ibn Yusuf, and the press is not being given his name because they don’t want to label this a hate crime; too much paperwork. Oh and it also would really look bad for a terrorist attack to happen on Main Street, USA on Christmas, even if it was “only” a bunch of Jewish kids.
He takes a 90-degree turn into a store and says something was wrong with his accelerator? Yeah, his FOOT was on it.
Wake up and welcome to the Jihad, Woodmere. Seventy-year old terminally ill Muslims can be coerced into taking a few Jews out in a traffic ‘accident’, and his family would get a nice “bonus” if he killed himself in the process.
Glad I made aliyah. At least here we can see ’em coming.
Would anyone be able to give an updated list of who is still in the hospital? some of the people i know personally, and i have been getting different messages on whether or not they are okay.
To all parents of children who witnessed the accident at the Chabad Chanuka Wonderland. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to avail yourself of Chai Lifeline Crisis Intervention services. You can call anytime Dr Norman Blumenthal at 646-763-0627 or Zahava Farbman csw at 516-993-0430.
I believe Chabad 5 towns also has some sort of help availiable.
http://www.chabadfivetowns.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/798445/jewish/CAR-ACCIDENT-RESPONSE.htm
Please say tehillim for my nephew, Eiton Yochai ben Shira Yaffa who was also hit by the SUV. He’s in the hospital right now and is very bruised and has sustained multiple breaks in his right leg.
#74 marcgott,
i think you have to much time on your hands.
To #74 (marcgott)
“Wake up and welcome to the Jihad, Woodmere”?!
Seriously, how self righteous and mean-spirited can you get?
You made Aliyah? Good for you. That *doesn’t* mean that you’ve become an instant expert on terrorism. And it definitely *doesn’t* mean that every conspiracy theory you come up with is somehow valid.
To #74 (marcgott)
has it occurred to you that they are withholding the names so that there is no further action against this man before people know the details? If i was my zaide I wouldn’t want it to be public knowledge. Your comments are truly ignorant and self righteous. you are looking to create a stir, bases on ZERO information. When the story does come out officially (see post # 65) your comments will seem even more hateful and misguided.
To #74 (marcgott)
I know this was just a troll, and I hate myself for responding, but just in case anyone takes you seriously I will.
It was an elderly man named Theodore Saretsky, who is a respected professor at Adelphi university.
Saretsky is a Jewish surname, not a Muslim surname.
My parents saw him at the scene. He was in total shock at what happened.
This was a horrible, horrible accident. Nothing more.
Posters # 79,80,81,82 Thank you for being a voice of reason. Sometimes bad things just happen with no malice on the part of those involved.
#82 – as much as I can appreciate what you were trying to accomplish by your response, the elderly man’s name should have remained private until the authorities chose to release it.
We just got a text message from Yitzchok’s wife. His name was out of order:
The correct name is
Yitzchok ben Faige Batya Devorah Hadassah
Admins please correct this in your updates.
Refuah Shelayma to all involved!
#84. It was released in all of the newspapers today. It’s public knowledge.
Is it true that yehudis and shmuel were released from the hospital? i am getting conflicting reports.
I would like to elaborate on my previous comment (#67);
This is just another of an ever growing number of incidences in which elderly drivers have lost control of their vehicles. You see the pictures in the papers and on TV almost daily of cars driven through store windows in shopping malls and virtually all at the hand of older people.
Five years ago in Santa Monica an 88 year old man plowed (at speed) through an open air farmer’s market killing eleven and maiming many more.
The standard excuse has been a ‘stuck accelerator’ or ‘stepping on the wrong pedal’ – both of which show a diminishing of driving skills!
I think we now have to act to curb this menace before more innocent lives (including our own) are jeopardized and there is a way to accomplish this;
Just as we are required to provide financial security each time we re-register our vehicles, I believe we should require all drivers over a certain age to prove medical competence at least every two years or risk loss of the privilege to drive.
I’m not talking about a cursory exam by a ‘friendly’ family physician who then merely signs the bottom of a form! (as they often do for handicapped placards) – I’m talking about a complete and certified work-up including scans of the brain and heart, a test of reflexes and a comprehensive eye examination at minimum.
This may not guarantee that the problem will disappear completely, but it will certainly make a dent in it!
Zoognisht
According to Rabbi Wolowick, right before shabbos, all the children have been released. Baruch Hashem, everyone will be fine. For more information, you may go to http://www.chabadfivetowns.com
i hate to sound like a pain, but does anyone know if the adults are still in the hospital, or if everyone is recovering nicely?
At least 2 adults are still in the hospital, one is awaiting surgery still.