Gassed On Sunrise
Written by Ronald Scaglia, rscaglia@antonnews.com Friday, 11 January 2013 00:00
Car strikes restaurant causing a
gas leak and an evacuation
“You could smell the gas for blocks.”
That’s how Friendly’s Restaurant employee Steven Shapiro described the scene when Sunrise Highway was recently shut down because of an accident that occurred in the parking lot of Friendly’s on Dec. 31. According to witnesses, a green Toyota struck gas pipes outside of the restaurant, creating a hazardous situation as gas leaked out. Sunrise Highway was shut down and both businesses and homes in the vicinity were evacuated as crews worked to repair the damage. According to eyewitness Carl Oberle, an employee at Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, the vehicle struck the gas pipes below the shutoff valve, so the gas could not be turned off. Therefore, repair crews had to dig underneath the curb, outside of the restaurant, to get to the gas lines, in order to turn off the gas.
Oberle told The Massapequan Observer, that a woman with what appeared to be several generations of her family returned a rental car to Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, before the group headed to Friendly’s. When she left the restaurant, her car apparently struck the side of the restaurant where the gas pipes are located.
“I told her, ‘You need to get away from the car,’“ Oberle recalled saying to her.
Erica Weitz works in the Friendly’s where the accident occurred and was there when the incident happened. She recalled that after the family had eaten and left the restaurant, one woman came back into the restaurant quite flustered. Weitz recalled her saying, “Our car malfunctioned and we hit into the side of your building.”
We hit the gas line and there’s gas leaking everywhere.”
Weitz said that she went outside and could smell gas immediately. She went back into the restaurant and instructed her colleagues, as well as customers that the restaurant needed to be evacuated.
“It was pretty scary,” she said. “I came in and grabbed everybody’s stuff and said ‘Let’s leave the building.’“
Weitz said that Friendly’s was closed from around 11:45 a.m. until about 6:30 p.m., when it was reopened. She said that IHOP welcomed her and other refugees into their establishment and served hot chocolate. Even there, she says the smell of gas was still quite noticeable. Meanwhile, Oberle and his colleagues went elsewhere to wait out the repairs. The rental car business was shut down for several hours during the evacuation. The highway was reopened later that day and residents were allowed back into their homes. No injuries were reported.
News
Wednesday, 15 May 2013 00:00
Declining enrollment and
reserve funds are key factors
As voters in the Massapequa Union Free School District approach the Tuesday, May 21, budget vote, the proposed spending plan retains popular educational programs while keeping the rise in spending to 1.49 percent.
Despite what district officials call unprecedented increases in state-mandated employer pension contributions, as well as rising health insurance costs, the overall budget is up just over $2.7 million.
Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00
After Massapequa resident Sol Goldstein and several friends helped finish building a house for a family 20 years ago for Habitat for Humanity, they had a question: “What do we do now?” They were all retired, had enjoyed working together and accomplishing something for a family in need, and wanted to do more.
“I was looking for something [to do] hands-on,” said Joe Botkin, of Williston Park, a retired principal, who had worked with Goldstein in building the home.
Sports
Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00
Vinny Zanfardino started his coaching career in 1997 when he stepped up to coach his daughter’s Little League team.
What started as a hobby turned into a full-blown obsession for Zanfardino, 48. Coaching became an outlet to do some good for children while staying close to the game he loves: baseball.
Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00
On Saturday, May 18, the Town of Oyster Bay will conduct a ceremony to officially re-name its golf course in honor of Joseph Colby, a resident of Massapequa Park who served as the Town of Oyster Bay’s 56th supervisor. The Honorable Joseph Colby was appointed supervisor in 1977 and was elected to that office five times in the following ten years. He was then elected as a New York State Supreme Court Justice in 1988, a post he held through his retirement from public service in 1992. The unveiling will take place at the main entrance of the course off South Woods Road in Woodbury.
“When the sign for Honorable Joseph Colby Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course is unveiled, it will celebrate an outstanding career in public service,” Supervisor John Venditto said. “Joseph Colby has always had the needs of the public as his top priority and has been widely respected for his innovation and responsiveness. This golf course will now forever bear his name as a tribute to his outstanding legacy.”
Calendar
Line Dancing
Friday, May 17
Library's Board of Trustees Meeting
Wednesday, May 22
America’s Boating Course
Tuesday, May 28
Columns
Building Better Legislators
Written by Michael A. Miller, Millercolumn@optimum.net
Quietly Vindicated
Written by Mike Barry, MFBarry@optonline.net
Health Insurance Crisis Still Here
Written by Michael A. Miller, Millercolumn@optimum.net
