Shoreham crash sends driver to hospital by helicopter, three vehicles damaged

One collision on Route 25A turned into a three-vehicle emergency in Shoreham, sending Jianhua Zhou, 45, of Flushing, to Stony Brook University Hospital by helicopter with serious injuries.

Suffolk County police said Zhou was driving a 2014 Toyota Sienna eastbound near Defense Hill Road at about 9:32 a.m. on May 9 when it struck the rear of a 2010 Ford Transit. The impact forced the Transit off the roadway and into several trees. Police said the Toyota then continued eastbound and hit a westbound 2023 Ford.

Lawrence Lederer, 36, of Miller Place, was driving the Ford Transit. His passenger, Bryan Wilson, 37, of Rocky Point, were not hurt. The driver of the westbound Ford, Piotr Ratkiewicz, 57, of Port Jefferson, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Investigators said all three vehicles were impounded for a safety check as the Seventh Squad continued to examine the crash. Anyone with information was asked to contact detectives.

The scene is a reminder of how fast a routine-looking crash can escalate on Route 25A, the main east-west route for much of Long Island’s North Shore. In Shoreham, where the road runs past homes, local businesses and school traffic, even a single chain-reaction collision can tie up a corridor that many drivers rely on every day.

The location adds another layer of concern. Shoreham-Wading River High School sits at 250A Route 25A and serves about 800 students in grades 9 through 12, putting a major school campus close to the stretch where the wreck unfolded. On a road that carries commuters, school traffic and through-traffic between Queens and Calverton, the margin for error is thin.

Zhou’s helicopter transport underscored the severity of his injuries and the importance of reaching Stony Brook University Hospital quickly. The hospital is Suffolk County’s only ACS-verified Level I adult and pediatric trauma center, making it the region’s highest-level trauma destination when a crash victim needs immediate advanced care.

The crash fell within the Seventh Precinct’s coverage area, which spans the easternmost sections of Brookhaven to the Riverhead and Southampton town lines. For Shoreham drivers, the wreck was another jarring reminder that a single impact on Route 25A can close in on several vehicles, pull first responders into a fast-moving scene and send one injured person by air to trauma care in minutes.