Woodmere, NY – Hatzolah responded with a few ambulances to an accident on Broadway and Conklin Avenue where a car crashed into a store with multiple injured and some unconscious.
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A total of 2 adults and 2 children are being transported to the hospital in serious condition one of them is critical, ten others have minor injuries, a chopper has been requested to the ER.
The accident happened about 3 p.m. apparently after an elderly man driving a blue sport utility vehicle drove straight into the building at 1052 Broadway in Woodmere, where the Chabad of Five Towns was hosting its “Chanukah Wonderland” workshop and funhouse.
Police said the 76-year-old man’s vehicle crashed into a Woodmere, New York, storefront where Chabad of Five Towns was holding its Hanukkah event. The event included menorah- and dreidel-making activities for children.
Six of the 10 injured are kids, 2 girls, ages 8 and 4 in stable condition at NUMC 1 with a broken collarbone, 3 kids under age of 5 at Winthrop University. 2 small kids in serious condition one is fair, another child and an adult at Long Beach not serious.
The 2007 BMW X3, with the 76-year-old man at the wheel, came to rest at the far end of the party room with one victim, a man, pinned beneath it. Others at the party came to the aid of the pinned man and lifted or rolled the BMW to free him, police said. Police would not release the name of the driver but the BMW is registered to Theodore Saretsky, 76, of Beech Street, Atlantic Beach. State motor vehicle records show that he is a psychologist with no accidents or violations on his driver’s license.
“The operator lost control of this car. He may have made a claim that something happened with the accelerator,” Smith said.
About 30 men together lifted the BMW sport utility vehicle, weighing more than 4,000 pounds, off the man who was trapped under a front tire when it came to rest, said Leo Shalamoff, owner of Pizza Pious, a kosher Italian restaurant across the street from Chanukah Wonderland. Shalamoff said he and one of his employees ran to offer aid.
“When we heard the screams we ran out of the store right away to help,” Shalamoff said.
Injured children were on the floor amid pieces of broken glass, metal and wood from window frames and walls, Shalamoff said. He and his employee went to the back wall of the shop where the SUV had trapped a man.
“We saw the man under the car. It was terrible. It was difficult. There was maybe 30 men picking up the car but suddenly we did it. We pulled him out and helped him to the ambulance,” Shalamoff said. “There was blood all over.”
Hashem yeracheim!!
Hashem saves. Hashem heals. Hope there is happy ending to this car accident.
This was at the Chanukah Winter Wonderland event in Cedarhurst, a car came right though the front window.
nebech one child has slim chances RL
nebech one child has slim chances RL
i hear that 2 cars crashed in. oy vey. i hope it was not some sort of terror act
A few ambulances? All 6 ambulances from far rockaway and lawrence and 1 from queens. more than 10 people were transported
So sad we are praying the kids will be ok
Ad mosai??
refuah shelaima
oy…keep us posted, VIN. let’s hear b’suros tovos.
I had just pulled up at the location. Since my kids were sleeping, I left them in the car with my wife while I went across the street to purchase a drink. On my way back to the car, I peered straight into the very window that the car drove through. No sooner had I walked away from the window returned to my car when the incident happened….a true first-hand Chanukah miracle! May the victims have miracles too!!!!
That’s right, you don’t know why this happened. And don’t pretend like you have even an inkling behind the ways of Hashem.
Because you don’t.
what a tragedy. may hashem grant them a speedy recovery and we should hear no more tzuros in klal yisroel
was this by rabbi valoviks chanuka party
Is this Rabbi Wolowik of Cedarhurst?
does anyone have the names of these people that were hurt
it was in woodmere. rabbi wolowicks chabad of the five towns was hosting there chanukah winter wonderland there.
Haven’t we suffered enough? Hashem Yiracheim al habanim!!!!
Yes it is the Wolowiks , we should only hear good news
is there any news on the people… does anyone know who they are or how they are doing? hashem yirachem
Yes, this event is run by Rabbi Zalman & Chanie Wolowik (sometimes spelled Volovik – directors of Chabad 5 towns) and Rabbi Meir & Hadassah Geisinsky (youth directors at Chabad). Hashem should have rachmunus on his children and all the injured should have a complete and speedy recovery!
B”H They are all going to make it!!
It took 12 responses til someone asked if there are names that people could say tehillim for. May those hurt have a complete refuah shelaima.
yitzchak ben hadassah devorah basya faige for a refuah shlema
channel 2 just said 4 critical (2 father / daughter pairs). 78 year old driving who said there were car problems and the vehicle just accelarated by itself
Bad news…a 78-year old driver either had a heart attack or somehow lost control of his SUV. An SUV in the hands of an old man?? MY reactions aren’t as sharp as they once were & I drive a compact. When are old people going to stop driving?? Over 70’s should have to have an eye, hearing, & driving test every year.
any names for tehillim??
all you people posting “oy this and oy that” should be ashamed of yourselves. sit at home in front of your computers happy that B”H it wasnt you. how about taking out a tehillim and doing something for the people affected by this.
A 78 year old shouldn’t be driving at all, and if he does then it should be a compact car so in case of anything he should be crushed, instead of him driving a SUV and crushing multiple other people!
We just heard the news on TV. Does anyone have names we can say tehillim for?
Vehicles don’t accelerate on their own; If the vehicle is properly maintained.
It is either driver error, incompetence or ill health.
All drivers should be required to take a physical.
is there any update on their conditions?
There are different categories of people:
1) There are probably at most a handful of gedolim who ‘know’ why certain tragedies happen–and generally they do not seem to be posting on vos is neias.
2) There are good people like the volunteers of Hatzolah who rush toward danger, to help those injured, leaving their own families and simchas and situations. There are a myriad of Yidden who work in a coordinated fashion to help those in need, much like the volunteers of Tomchei Shabbos, etc.
3) There are ‘wannabes’ who think they know why a tragedy happened–these are people for whom the term ‘fool’ is not sufficient.
4) There are people who are interested in the ‘how’ of an accident. How did an accident happen? There is a whole field called ‘injury prevention.’ Tens of thousands of Israelis are injured or killed every year in accidents. If you’d like, help lower the statistics, by driving safely, having your vehicle checked regularly, etc (I believe such preventive measures are possibly part of ‘al sa’amod al dam rayecha”). However, there is a HUGE difference between understanding the mechanism, the ‘how’ of an accident, and comprehending ‘why’ certain tragedies happen. We simply do not know, nor can we know, why bad things happen to good people (despite Harold Kushner’s book).
5) Then, there are people who are not really interested at all, unless it impacts on their pleasure.
Names for tehillim:
Yitzchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Fayga
Yakira Breindel ben Yitzchok
Please pray for Yitzchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Fagah, and for Yakira Breindel ben Yitzchok – who are both in critical condition and need Rachmei Shomayim, in the wake of the accident
2 additional names:
Shmuel ben Tova and Yehudis bas Tova – a brother & sister who both have severe head trauma.
yakira breindel bas rochel
for sure achdus and ahavas yisroel can help
There will be a Tehillim gathering
Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv 
9:15pm – 1 Cedarlawn ave Lawrence NY.
Please say Tehillim and give Tzedaka Lezechus Yitchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Faigah, Yakira Breindel bas Rachel and all the injured. Besuros Tovos!
Please say tehillim for
Yitzchok ben Hadasah Devorah Basya Faiga
Shneur bas Tova
Yehudis bas Tova
Yakira Breindel bas Rachel
‘May they have a refuah shelaima’
There are apparently a brother and sister, Shmuel ben Tova and Yehudis bas Tova, who experienced major head trauma and need our tefillos.
Oh how sad. From the bottom of our hearts we wish all the injured a speedy recovery and their families an easy time in coping with this event. Its just beyond words…….
omg
I live only a block away from the accident, as soon as i heard i went to see if I could help. It looked like a war scene. People were crying and running around looking for their kids. It was really scary. Say tehillim. I know for a fact that there are at least two people hanging by a thread. Lets daven
We saw him under BMW It was terrible n difficult 30 men picking up car, suddenly we did it we pulled him out.
does anyone have an update on the victoms?
I am taking care of the brother
He is NOT critical
Updates on Chabad Chanuka Wonderland Accident Victims:
Please daven and say tehillim for the following people who were injured:
Yitzchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Fayga: he is out of surgery. He is in critical, but stable condition.
Yitzchak Zev ben Masha Esha
Yaakov Zvi ben Sarah
Shmuel ben Tova
Yehudis bas Tova
(B”H Yakira Breindel bas Rochel was discharged from hospital this evening)
Emergency Tehillim right now at Young Israel of Hewlett
It’s the lead story on cnn.com at this hour.