Commercial Van Driver in FDNY Crash; Passenger Dies
A commercial van driver hit an FDNY fire truck responding on Avenue S in Gravesend, press reports said, and the city crash record counted one death and 12 injuries, with 78-year-old Access-A-Ride passenger Placido Dandrea the person who died.
What We Know
At about 6:45 p.m. on March 10, 2026, police said a commercial van driver heading north on West 11th Street hit an FDNY fire truck whose crew was responding east on Avenue S in Gravesend. The crash became a chain reaction involving an Access-A-Ride bus and a Lexus SUV. Placido Dandrea, 78, a passenger in the Access-A-Ride bus, was taken to South Brooklyn Health and died. The city crash record lists one person killed and 12 people injured. Press accounts reported 11 injured, including five firefighters, while News12 reported 10 people hospitalized. The record lists traffic control disregarded; the Daily News reported competing accounts over who had the light and whether the van driver yielded.
A response run became a chain-reaction crash
Police told the Daily News that the driver of a commercial Ford van was heading north on West 11th Street when he hit an FDNY fire truck whose crew was responding east on Avenue S with lights and sirens active. Surveillance video reviewed by the Daily News showed an Access-A-Ride bus and a Lexus SUV stopped near the corner as sirens were audible.
After the first impact, police and press accounts said the force sent the FDNY rig into the westbound lane, where an Access-A-Ride bus was hit and the Lexus behind it was then involved. The city crash record lists one person killed and 12 people injured.
Placido Dandrea was nearly home
The Daily News and News12 identified the passenger who died as Placido Dandrea, 78. The Daily News reported that he and his wife were returning from a doctor's appointment in an Access-A-Ride bus and were seconds from home when the crash happened.
Police told the Daily News that Dandrea was rushed to South Brooklyn Health in critical condition but could not be saved. The Daily News reported 11 people injured, including five firefighters; the city crash record lists 12 injuries, all to vehicle occupants.
Accounts differed on the traffic signal and yielding
The city crash record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor and records that factor on the FDNY fire truck entry. A Daily News account cited a law enforcement source who said the FDNY vehicle was Ladder 149 and that the van driver failed to yield.
The Daily News also quoted Michael Liu, the owner of Frontier HVAC, who said his driver was injured and disputed that account. Liu said his driver told him the van had a green light, the firefighters had a red light, and the fire truck was going very fast.
Avenue S has a long crash history
The crash happened at Avenue S and West 11th Street in Gravesend, Brooklyn, according to the city crash record and press accounts.
CrashCountNYC's Crash Finder counted 426 crashes, 338 injuries, 15 serious injuries and 1 death along Avenue S in Brooklyn from 2022 through June 1, 2026.