Vehicle Leaves Roadway, Strikes 16-Year-Old James Amaya in Bay Shore

Suffolk County Police Third Squad detectives are investigating a crash in Bay Shore in which a westbound vehicle left North Sunrise Service Road near Atlantic Avenue and struck 16-year-old James Amaya of Bay Shore, authorities said. Patch reported the crash occurred “around 6:35 p.m.” Friday evening and described the victim as walking on the side of the road when he was hit.

Patch identified the driver as Segundo Guaman, 69, of Brentwood, and reported that Guaman “was driving westbound when he lost control of his vehicle, which left the roadway and struck James Amaya, 16, of Bay Shore, who was walking on the side of the road, police said.” Amaya was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore for treatment of serious injuries, while Guaman “was not injured,” Patch reported.

Detectives impounded the vehicle involved “for a safety check, according to detectives,” the Patch account said, and Suffolk County Police confirmed Third Squad detectives are handling the investigation. The SCPD release referenced in the police account gave the calendar date as Feb. 13; Patch described the crash as occurring Friday evening at approximately 6:35 p.m. The available police notices provided the driver’s and pedestrian’s names, ages and residences but did not identify a cause beyond the description that the driver “lost control.”

National child-pedestrian data offer context for the risk faced by teens and children in traffic. Safe Kids Worldwide reported that “a total of 385 children ages 0 to 19 years were fatally injured and another 9,257 were nonfatally injured as pedestrians in motor vehicle crashes in 2021,” and noted that “in 2021, 385 children were fatally injured as pedestrians in motor vehicle crashes, for a rate of less than 1 per 100,000 (0.47 per 100,000).” The Safe Kids fact sheet, last updated August 2023, also cited a 2020 survey finding that “1 in 4 indicated they had ever fallen or stepped off a step, sidewalk or curb while using their phone; 1 in 3 had ever walked or bumped into something while using their phone; 1 in 3 had crossed the street while texting and more than half in the last six months had crossed the street while wearing headphones.”

The source bundle that produced the police and Patch details also included separate, unrelated Hamilton Police Service releases about collisions in Hamilton. Those items are in a different jurisdiction and involve different victims and charges; Hamilton’s notices state, for one case, that “Preliminary investigation has determined that there was an interaction between two vehicles travelling eastbound on York Boulevard, west of Plains Road West,” and that “The driver of the motor vehicle, a 29-year-old male from Burlington, has been charged” with dangerous operation causing death and failure to stop after a collision causing death.

Suffolk County Police Third Squad detectives continue to investigate the Bay Shore collision; the vehicle was impounded for a safety check and James Amaya remained under treatment at South Shore University Hospital according to the police account published by Patch.