Two days after he was struck by a taxi and critically injured in Montauk, Benjamin Pileski’s family is focusing on staying positive as he heads into surgery this afternoon.
His brother, said Zach Pileski, had a good night last night, with the numbers indicating the pressure on his brain low. Benjamin suffered severe brain trauma in the accident.
But today, Zach said, “his numbers have gone back up. They’re bringing him into surgery to remove a portion of his skull, to allow for swelling. This is the critical time. We’re almost at the 72 hour mark.”
The operation, Zach said, is routine, and one physicians have assured Benjamin’s family that they perform regularly.
The hours since the accident have been dark, but Benjamin’s family is striving to hold strong to hope. “We’re as good as can be,” Zach said. “There are still tears, but there’s also still strength. We know he’s going to make it through.”
Benjamin’s family thanked the community for the outpouring of love and prayers that has helped carry them through their most difficult hours. “We’ve had more and more people coming in. More and more people are praying,” Zach said.
Hoping to spread the word, Zach asked that any visitors planning to head over to Stony Brook this afternoon wait a few hours, until later in the day, since his brother is scheduled for the hour-long surgery this afternoon.
“We keep hearing stories of hope, and of miracles,” Zach said. “The doctors say he’s young and strong, so everyone’s really optimistic. There’s nothing but positivity here.”
Benjamin, 20, is currently in critical condition in Stony Brook Hospital’s surgical intensive care unit.
According to East Hampton Town Police Capt. Chris Anderson, the accident took place at 3:09 a.m. Sunday on Montauk Highway in Montauk Village, when a taxi traveling westbound struck two pedestrians, who were heading from the south side of the roadway. No charges were filed in the accident, Anderson said.
With Ben still fighting, Zach said his brother still needs the prayers and support of the community.
Ben is still in a medically induced coma and will be, at least for the next few days, he said. After that, “Hopefully, they’ll try to wake him, as long as his numbers seem to be leveling out,” his brother said.
The steady stream of loving visitors has helped his brother, Zach believes. “Even though they say he’s in a coma and can’t hear, we believe he can. You can see the numbers lowering when people come in and talk to him. He’s thriving off the support of this community.”
Ben’s whole family wishes to express their deep and eternal gratitude to the many who have turned out to support them in their hour of great need. “Please, just keep praying,” Zach said.
Cutchogue resident Susan Tyler, whose son Justin Tyler was with Benjamin at the time of the accident, said both young men were crossing the street when they were struck by a taxi, which allegedly came around a bend and struck Benjamin first, then Justin.
According to Ben’s father Thomas Pileski, his son was walking near the Montauk traffic circle when he was struck, along with Tyler. Two other friends with them were unhurt, Pileski said.
Facing a parent’s worst nightmare, Pileski said, “It’s terrible. I’ve can’t even think. But I have to be strong for him.”
Benjamin, he said, has worked since he was 13 on David Steele’s farm in Mattituck, and currently, serves his nation proudly in the Navy.
“He just came home on leave, and this is what happens,” Pileski said.
When the phone rang at 3 a.m., Pileski said, “I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know what to do. When you’re not in control, you feel so helpless.”
Tyler’s son suffered a mild concussion, slight skull fracture, a small amount of blood on his brain, and scrapes. she said.
Both Ben and Justin Tyler are Class of 2013 Mattituck High School graduates.
Benjamin’s mother, Gwen DeFriest, said the community’s support helps immeasurably. “There are people who knew my dad and my great-grandfather; they farmed together and went to church together. It’s literally family.”
Reflecting on her son, Defriest said he’s a “ham” and a “cutup. He’s got crinkly eyes when he smiles and a huge grin. Everyone loves him. Even when he wouldn’t follow directions in school, the teachers would call, but they’d say, ‘But we all love him. He’s a great kid.’”
Today, she said, “he’s doing such great things with the Navy.”
The next hours, DeFriest agreed, are the most important. “He’s weathered storms. Right now, it’s prayers, just prayers. We need the prayers to get his eyes open. And then we’ll deal with what comes after.”
