Car carrier driver charged with DWAI after fiery Medford crash damages family business
The crash also involved a car carrier and was reportedly followed with an explosion.
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A Pennsylvania man is facing charges after police say a fiery crash involving a car carrier and a cement truck injured two people, spilled diesel fuel and heavily damaged a longtime family business Friday afternoon.
The crash happened just before 2 p.m. on Peconic Avenue in Medford.
The owner of Star Ready Mix Incorporated, Jose DaSilva, says he heard a loud crash followed by an explosion while inside his office. When he ran outside, he saw a car carrier had slammed into one of the company’s cement trucks as it was pulling out of the business.
“I was worried about my guy,” DaSilva said. “He’s been with us, what, 20 years?”
Suffolk police say both the cement truck driver and the driver of the car carrier were taken to the hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
Police arrested Khvicha Malak Madze, 27, of Pennsylvania, and charged him with driving while ability impaired by drugs.
The intense fire spread from the initial collision to two additional trucks parked at the business, causing extensive damage.
“We could lose business to contractors and so forth that will go elsewhere because we don’t have the trucks to service them, ” said Gary DaSilva, Jose’s brother and business partner.
The family says Star Ready Mix Incorporated has operated in Medford since 1973, and while equipment can be replaced, their focus remains on the recovery of their longtime employee.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says approximately 70 gallons of diesel fuel were released during the crash, impacting four storm drains. The agency says there is no evidence of impacts to nearby surface water or drinking water supplies. Cleanup crews worked Friday night into Saturday to remediate the spill.
