This vehicle was crushed in an accident that killed five...

This vehicle was crushed in an accident that killed five from Long Island on the Taconic State Parkway. (July 26, 2009) Credit: 1010 WINS / Sonia Rincon

A friend of Warren Hance, father of three girls in the van, calls New York State Police and speaks with a desk sergeant.

Friend: I’m actually trying to help a friend right now and I need some information. Their children are on their way home from a camping trip with their aunt. They just called my friend's house in distress saying that the aunt is driving home erratically. They're at a rest center, the best they can understand is they were in Tarrytown or Sleepy Hollow, those are the signs that they saw. The aunt isn't picking up the cell phone right now. We live in Long Island. My friend just jumped in his car and he's heading up north. We're trying to track down, um, track down this rest center. That's the first thing. The second thing is, is there anything that you guys can do, but we don't know where they are, that's, that's the problem.

Sergeant: Yeah, um, if you don't know where they are, you know, we can't be looking for them, if you don't know where they are. You think that it's a rest area near Tarrytown?

Friend: That was the last moment that they spoke, yes.

Warren Hance arrives at the Tarrytown barracks and speaks to Capt. Evelyn Mallard, who calls the desk sergeant again.

Mallard: Listen, I have a family here that thinks they might have a medical emergency of their sister who was traveling from Monticello down to Long Island. Their sister called, she can't talk anymore, there's three kids in the car, five, they're trying to locate her. They're driving a Windstar. . . . Do you know if there's any way to track her cell phone to get a location if I give you her number?

Sergeant: Well we could call, um, do you know what service?

Mallard: I don't know what service, I just know the phone number. It's Verizon? It's Verizon.

Sergeant: Yeah, we could check with Verizon. We probably just have to fax them that we're doing an investigation and locate this, and they could probably get us that information, if it's obtainable or not.

Mallard: Can you do that?

Sergeant: Yeah, I can attempt to do it. Sometimes they won't, you know, but it depends, we can try it.

Mallard: Well, just tell them we believe we have a medical emergency with a bunch of kids in the car.

At one point, Warren Hance can be heard in the background talking to Daniel Schuler on a cell phone about whether Diane's cell phone was in her maiden or married name.

Warren Hance: Danny, the phone bill, is it in Schuler or is it in Hance? Danny, does the phone bill come in Hance or Schuler. Danny, you with me? Danny, does the cell phone bill. . . . It's Schuler."

>>PHOTOS: 5 LIers killed in Taconic Parkway crash

>>COMPLETE COVERAGE: Taconic Parkway crash tragedy

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Giving back to place that gave them so much ... Migrants' plight ... Kwanzaa in the classroom ... What's up on LI ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV

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