Hempstead fatal crash: Freeport man dies, six others injured, police say

One driver was killed and six people — including three teens and a young girl — were injured, one seriously, in a four-car crash Sunday evening in Hempstead, police said.

Police identified the driver who was killed as Edgar Romero, 61, of Freeport, who was behind the wheel of a 2014 Volkswagen. The crash occurred just after 6 p.m. on westbound Greenwich Street near Henry Street.

The 37-year-old male driver of a 2008 Acura MDX that the Volkswagen collided with suffered what police described as "serious leg injuries." The 63-year-old male driver of a 2014 BMW suffered trauma to his arm and body, police said. The injuries to the children in the crash were all minor, police said.

Police said the incident began when the Volkswagen was involved in a collision with the Acura at 6:06 p.m. Two teens in the Volkswagen — a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy — suffered minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, while police said the driver was pronounced at the scene.

Police said there were three passengers in the Acura, all female, aged 37, 14 and 4. While the driver suffered serious injuries, the 37-year-old passenger was uninjured and the two children were transported to a local hospital for "minor lacerations," police said.

Following the initial collision, police said the Acura struck a third vehicle, a 2013 Ford Explorer, that was headed westbound on Greenwich but was stopped waiting to turn north onto Henry. The driver of the Explorer was uninjured, police said.

Also following the initial collision, the Volkswagen crashed into a fourth vehicle, the BMW, that was southbound on Henry, police said.

No one was charged in the accident and police said the cause remains under investigation.

All vehicles were towed from the scene, police said. Additional details were not immediately available. 

Check back for updates on this developing story.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”