East Hampton Man Dies After SUV Hits Black Ice In Bridgehampton, Slams Into Bus

An East Hampton man was killed early Friday morning when he lost control of his SUV after hitting a patch of black ice in Bridgehampton and careened into the path of a Suffolk County transit bus heading in the opposite direction.Southampton Town Police said that 27-year-old Cesar Marin, a native of Ecuador, was driving west on Montauk Highway near Windmill Lane in a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer when he suddenly veered into the eastbound lane and struck a bus head-on.Mr. Marin was pronounced dead at the scene though, according to a witness, his body was left behind the wheel of his wrecked SUV for nearly four hours after the 6:54 a.m. accident, as investigators awaited for officials with the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office to respond to the scene. Officers draped a white sheet over the driver’s side window as they waited for the medical examiner to arrive.It is unclear whether or not authorities will perform an autopsy, according to Town Police Lieutenant Susan Ralph.Lt. Ralph did note that Mr. Marin was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. While he was not speeding at the time, she noted that “his speed was not proper for the roadway conditions,” referring to the presence of black ice due to the freezing overnight temperatures. The speed limit on that stretch of roadway is 45 mph.Witnesses described a dramatic moment at the scene when a woman—later identified as Mr. Marin’s wife, Alejandra Otavalo—eluded police, approached her husband’s wrecked car, lifted up the sheet, began screaming and collapsed. Lt. Ralph said Ms. Otavalo was so distraught that she had to be transported to Southampton Hospital.The Bridgehampton Ambulance transported the driver of the bus—Andrzej Jaglowski, 50, of Riverhead—to Southampton Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the accident and no charges are expected to be filed against the driver, police said.Southampton Town Police, its detectives, the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office as well as the Bridgehampton Fire Department and Ambulance Company all responded to the scene.Montauk Highway remained closed for four hours between Newlight Lane and Hayground Road immediately following the accident. The State Department of Transportation Motor Safety Unit also responded to check the safety of the bus and the Chevrolet was impounded by police for a routine safety check as well, police said.Just 10 minutes prior to the fatal accident, another one-car crash occurred at the same location when a driver lost control of his vehicle because of the icy conditions. There were no injuries in that accident, police said.On Monday, Ms. Otavalo said in Spanish that Mr. Marin was the best husband and best father for his two young children who currently live in Ecuador.According to a GoFundMe page created in order to raise money for the funeral, Mr. Marin’s body will be transported to his family in Ecuador. Organizers originally sought to raise $2,000 for the family, but hit that amount in just two days. The goal amount was then raised to $4,000 and, as of Tuesday afternoon, $3,000 had been raised. Additional donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/cesar27.There were several other accidents reported that morning due to black ice, Lt. Ralph said, adding that Town Police responded to a total of 15 crashes within an eight-hour window Friday.One of those accidents occurred in Northampton when Michael John Einfeldt, 18, of Eastport lost control of his 2004 Buick LeSabre when it slipped on black ice at 6:55 a.m., just a minute after the fatal accident in Bridgehampton, and slammed into a utility pole on County Road 51. He was transported by Suffolk County Police medevac to Stony Brook University Hospital where, as of earlier this week, he was still listed in critical condition, according to friends.