The deadly accident that took the life of a Brooklyn groom on his honeymoon may have been caused by distracted driving, police said yesterday.
Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said yesterday that police “are still waiting for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office to review the case.”
But, he said, he could say that “rain was not a factor” and he did not believe the hill on Route 25 was a cause, either.
“I think it’s going to be a driver distraction issue that caused the accident,” Flatley said.
Jeremiah Grunblatt, 42, of Brooklyn was driving in the car with his wife of only three days, Keturah Grunblatt, 39, when the crash took his life on September 30. She was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
According to the bride’s family, the couple was married on September 27 and were on the North Fork celebrating their honeymoon.
A Suffolk County Transit bus, the S-92, was heading eastbound on Route 25, crossing the bridge east of Sage Boulevard, when it was struck by the couple’s small SUV, which swerved into the eastbound lane, colliding with the bus, hitting it head-on, and then striking the guardrail, according to emergency officials on the scene.
Police identified the bus driver as Louis Garnica, 50, of Hampton Bays; he sustained a “severe” leg injury, police said He was treated at the scene by Greenport Fire Department rescue squad before being transported to a local hospital. Of the five adult passengers of the bus, one was treated for minor injuries.
The New York State Department of Transportation is investigating.
“They were very much in love,” said the bride’s father, Richard Stickann, after the tragedy.
