Crash On Hill Street Stalls Friday Evening Commute

An accident involving an SUV and a fire truck forced first responders to close Hill Street between Tuckahoe Lane and Somerset Avenue in Southampton during the evening rush hour on Friday.At approximately 5:45 p.m., the Southampton Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Thunderbird Coffee Shop triggered by roasting coffee that was burning.As drivers pulled their vehicles to the side of the road for the fire truck, Southampton Fire Department Chief Michael Kampf said, 39-year-old Helen Duenas-Ramirez of Riverhead was turning from Tuckahoe Lane and thought that they were letting her through. She entered the road and drove her 2013 Hyundai Tucson directly into the path of the rescue vehicle.Airbags were deployed inside Ms. Duenas-Ramirez’s vehicle, which sustained significant front-end damage. The vehicle was towed from the scene.Southampton Village Police Chief Thomas Cummings said Ms. Duenas-Ramirez complained of shoulder and upper arm pain and was transported by the Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance to Southampton Hospital for treatment.Chief Kampf noted that the truck’s front passenger-side wheel had to be replaced. According to Chief Cummings, the truck was still operable and could be driven away from the scene.Southampton Village Police said that Hill Street was reopened approximately 90 minutes after the accident, which brought traffic to a crawl during the Friday evening commute.As for the fire at the coffee shop, Chief Kampf said fire officials were able to clean out an exhaust pipe that was clogged with ash, and no damage was reported to the building.The Southampton Village Police Department did not immediately return calls and messages following the accident.