Boyfriend Wasn't Speeding Before Long Island Expressway Crash That Killed 6, Woman Says

Doctors say the wreckage was so shocking even the paramedics were shaken

What to Know

  • Doctors say the wreckage was so shocking even the paramedics were shaken
  • A 10-year-old boy headed to a water park to celebrate his birthday and a former Cuomo aide were among those who died
  • Authorities are investigating speeding as a possible cause of the crash

The girlfriend of the SUV driver who authorities say caused a horrific crash that left him and five others, including a 10-year-old boy and a former aide to Gov. Cuomo, dead says her boyfriend wasn't speeding. 

Twenty-two-year-old Ivonne Luque tells Newsday she was driving another car directly in front of 26-year-old Carmelo Pinales and watched as her boyfriend crashed. She says he wasn't speeding and there was a lot of traffic on the Long Island Expressway on Sunday morning. 

Investigators say witnesses told police Pinales' SUV was traveling over the 55 mph speed limit. Suffolk Chief of Detectives Gerard Gigante says investigators haven't determined his exact speed and are re-interviewing witnesses and examining the vehicles involved. 

The former Cuomo aide, 29-year-old Scott Martella, was most recently a communications director for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. He, along with Pinales, Pinales' 10-year-old son, Pinales' sister and Isadore and Helen Adelson, who were in a BMW involved in the crash, died. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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