Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A catastrophic multi-vehicle collision on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 68 in Manorville claimed six lives over the course of two days, beginning with a violent wrong-way impact on the morning of Sunday, August 21, 2016, according to RiverheadLOCAL, which provided comprehensive ongoing coverage as the death toll climbed.
At approximately 9:35 a.m., Carmelo Pinales, 26, of Hicksville, was driving a gray Subaru Outback eastbound on the Long Island Expressway when he apparently lost control of the vehicle. The Subaru crossed over the grassy median, went airborne, and struck two westbound vehicles — a 2014 Honda and a 2016 BMW — that were traveling westbound near Exit 68, according to Suffolk County Police. Detectives were investigating reports that Pinales had been traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash. All three vehicles were subsequently impounded for a safety check as part of the continuing investigation.
Carmelo Pinales and his passenger, his sister Patricia Pinales, 27, of Westbury, were pronounced dead at the scene by a physician’s assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. The driver of the 2014 Honda, Scott Martella, 29, of Northport, was also pronounced dead at the scene — bringing the immediate death toll to three. Carmelo Pinales’s 10-year-old son, Christopher Pinales, also of Hicksville, who was riding in the Subaru with his father, was transported in critical condition to Stony Brook University Hospital via Suffolk County Police helicopter. Christopher later succumbed to his injuries at Stony Brook that Sunday evening, raising the confirmed death toll to four, as RiverheadLOCAL reported in a 9:10 p.m. update.
The driver of the 2016 BMW, Marvin Tenzer, 73, and his three passengers — Sandra Tenzer, 69, Helen Adelson, and Isidore Adelson, 81, all of Westhampton — were transported to local hospitals where they were initially treated for what were described as non-life-threatening injuries. However, both of the Adelsons’ conditions deteriorated dramatically in the hours that followed. Isidore Adelson was transferred from Peconic Bay Medical Center to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where he died on the morning of Monday, August 22. His wife Helen, also transferred to Southside Hospital, died Monday afternoon at Stony Brook University Hospital — bringing the final confirmed death toll to six.
Among the others injured in the crash, Winnifer Garcia, 21, of Hempstead, and Patricia Pinales’s 3-year-old daughter, also of Westbury, were transported to local hospitals where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Shelbi Thurau, 29, of Northport — identified by police as the fiancée of victim Scott Martella — was a passenger in the Honda and was likewise transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Initial emergency response to the scene was massive. Three victims were airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, at least one more was transported to Stony Brook by ground ambulance, three others were transported by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center, and two were taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital. Several EMS agencies were called to assist the Manorville Volunteer Ambulance Corps at the scene. The Manorville Fire Department requested that Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services dispatch a special stress management group to their firehouse to assist first responders — a reflection of the extraordinary trauma the scene presented to emergency personnel. The Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps was dispatched to Manorville’s headquarters to stand by in a supporting capacity, according to RiverheadLOCAL.
Location & Road Context
The crash occurred on the Long Island Expressway (I-495) near Exit 68 in Manorville, a stretch of highway in eastern Suffolk County where the expressway carries heavy weekend traffic to and from the East End of Long Island. The LIE was shut down in both directions between Exits 68 and 69 for the duration of the investigation, with eastbound traffic backed up for miles. The closure pushed traffic onto William Floyd Parkway, which backed up from the expressway all the way to Route 25 in Ridge, and further east on Route 25 through Calverton. The Long Island Expressway was reopened to traffic in both directions at 5:40 p.m. The LIE has recorded 795 incidents in the Long Island Traffic database — among the highest totals of any road in the region — underscoring the corridor’s persistent danger, particularly on high-volume summer weekends.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County Police detectives from the Seventh Squad assumed responsibility for the investigation, according to RiverheadLOCAL. The central focus of the investigation was whether Carmelo Pinales had been traveling at an excessively high rate of speed prior to losing control of the Subaru Outback. All three vehicles involved — the Subaru, the Honda, and the BMW — were impounded for safety inspections as part of the probe. Detectives asked anyone with information regarding the crash to contact the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752. As of the final update published by RiverheadLOCAL, no charges had been filed — a reflection of the fact that the driver believed responsible for initiating the chain of events, Carmelo Pinales, was among the deceased.
Broader Impact
The sheer scale of this tragedy — six dead across two days, including a 10-year-old child and a 3-year-old who survived — placed extraordinary strain on first responders and the wider Manorville community. The fact that the Manorville Fire Department formally requested a stress management team for its firefighters speaks to conditions at the scene that went well beyond a typical highway accident. The crash serves as a stark reminder that excessive speed on the LIE, particularly during peak summer weekend traffic when the expressway carries far above its normal volume, can transform a single vehicle’s loss of control into a catastrophe affecting multiple families across Long Island.