Accident Cl­­­aims Massapequa Resident

Written by Joe Scotchie: JScotchie@antonnews.com Friday, 16 March 2012 00:00

Ellen Meany, 45, was a mother of three; accident took place on Unqua Road

Tragedy struck the Massapequa area last Monday when Ellen Meany, a local mother of three children, succumbed to injuries sustained in a vehicular accident, one that took place on Thursday, March 8.

On Tuesday, Nassau County police reported Ms. Meany’s passing, saying that she was pronounced dead on Monday, March 12 at 6:45 p.m.

At a press conference held on Friday, March 9, Det. Vincent Garcia said Ms. Meany’s condition was then listed as critical with severe head injuries. However, those injuries proved too great to overcome and so another family tragedy has come to the Village of Massapequa Park.

According to published reports, both neighbors and Ms. Meany’s husband, Tom, described the deceased as a dedicated stay-at-home mother who occasionally enjoyed bike riding on good days. Her husband also told the media that his sole concern now is the welfare of his late wife’s three children, two girls and a boy, ages 11, 9, and 7, all of whom attend Massapequa public schools. Published reports added that the family was seeking the comfort of a local parish priest, while leaving the aftermath of the accident to Nassau County detectives.

Ellen Meany was a native of Wantagh and a graduate of Wantagh High School. In addition to her husband and three children, she is survived by her mother, Pat Scanlon, also a resident of Wantagh, and a brother, Michael, a resident of Babylon.

Services took place both last Wednesday and Thursday evenings at Massapequa Funeral Home. The funeral Mass was scheduled for Friday morning at St. Rose of Lima.

Vehicle Description

Nassau County detectives are still looking for the driver who struck the victim during the accident, one that police said took place on Unqua Road at 11:35 a.m. on March 8.

At the March 9 press conference, Det. Garcia gave details of the accident, while also updating the possible make of the car.

The victim, Det. Garcia said, was riding her bicycle southbound in the northbound travel lane of Unqua Road near Morris Lane when she accidentally struck the mirror of a legally parked vehicle. The victim then fell off her bicycle and landed on the roadway.

The fatal injury occurred when the victim was then struck by an unidentified driver in a vehicle driving northbound on Unqua. The driver, Det. Garcia said, left the scene without stopping to report the accident.

Det. Garcia said that the vehicle was originally described as a mid-1990s teal-colored Ford Taurus or a metallic green Mercury Sable.

At the press conference, Det. Garcia said that further investigation revealed that the car is believed to be a mid to late 1990s pacific blue Mercury Sable. At the same time, the vehicle, Det. Garcia, said “could be something different,” in this case, the teal-colored Ford Taurus or the metallic green Mercury Sable described earlier.

Det. Garcia appealed for help, asking that any body shops in the area be on the lookout for the vehicles described, especially those with damage on the driver’s side.

Det. Garcia added that the victim was accompanied by another female bicyclist, who escaped injury.

Detectives request anyone with information regarding this accident to call either the Homicide Squad at 573-7788 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.