FDNY Ladder and Van Drivers Collide; Passenger Dies
Seconds from Home
A March 10 crash record lists one 78-year-old passenger killed and 12 motorists injured at Avenue S and W. 11th Street, and press accounts identified him as Access-A-Ride rider Placido D'Andrea, seconds from home in Gravesend.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
At about 6:45 p.m. on March 10, 2026, an FDNY ladder apparatus traveling east on Avenue S and a commercial van driver traveling north on W. 11th Street were involved in the first impact in Gravesend. The chain reaction reached an Access-A-Ride bus and a Lexus that had stopped near the corner. The passenger who died was identified in news reports as 78-year-old Placido D'Andrea, who was riding with his wife near their home. The city crash record lists one motorist killed, 12 motorists injured and traffic control disregarded. Press accounts differ on the first impact: police told the Daily News the van driver struck the FDNY truck, while CBS described video showing the FDNY ladder proceeding through a red light as the van driver moved through a green.
The first impact is described differently
At 6:44 p.m. on March 10, the city crash record logged a fatal collision at Avenue S and W. 11th Street in Brooklyn, with one motorist killed and 12 motorists injured.
Police accounts published by the Daily News said the driver of a commercial Ford van was going north on W. 11th Street and struck an FDNY truck headed east on Avenue S with lights and sirens on. CBS New York, describing video, reported that the FDNY ladder proceeded through a red light while the van driver moved through a green. Both accounts describe a chain reaction involving an Access-A-Ride bus and a Lexus.
A Gravesend corner close to home
The crash happened in Gravesend at Avenue S and W. 11th Street. News accounts placed D'Andrea's family home about half a block from the intersection, and neighbors said he and his wife were returning from a medical appointment when the crash happened.
Placido D'Andrea was riding Access-A-Ride
The official record lists the person killed as a 78-year-old male passenger. News outlets identified him as Placido D'Andrea, also called Butch, who was aboard the Access-A-Ride with his wife.
CBS reported that D'Andrea's wife was hospitalized after the crash and later released. Their daughter, Laurie Tesauro, told CBS, "I run around the block, and it was her and my father. And then I called my husband and just said, 'Get here now,'"
Injury totals varied in early reports
The city crash record lists 12 motorists injured. Early news reports described at least 10 or 11 people hurt; CBS later reported that firefighters, the commercial van driver, the Lexus driver, the Access-A-Ride driver and other civilians were hospitalized and said to be stable.
Signals and due care became the focus
The city vehicle record assigns "Traffic Control Disregarded" to the FDNY apparatus. CBS reported that the FDNY said the ladder was relocating to another fire company and that the department was investigating. No arrests had been made in the immediate aftermath.
An attorney for D'Andrea's family said they were preparing legal action and examining several questions, including why the van driver did not yield, whether the FDNY ladder proceeded with due care, and how long its lights and sirens had been on.