At least 4 dead, multiple people with life-threatening injuries in Nassau County crashes
NASSAU COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) -- At least four people are dead, including three children, after two serious crashes in Nassau County that happened about seven hours apart.
The first happened Sunday just before 7:30 p.m. at Sunrise Highway and Unqua Road in East Massapequa where three people were killed.
Authorities say a vehicle traveling at a high speed crashed into at least three other vehicles.
Mangled and destroyed cars littered the road, forcing police to shut down the highway. Firefighters used the jaws of life to remove people from the vehicles.
Police say a father, his 10-year-old son and his 13-year-old daughter were all killed when they went out to get ice cream to celebrate their dad's new job.
Three other children who were in the car are fighting for their lives.
The second crash happened at 2:30 a.m. Monday in West Hempstead where another child was killed.
Investigators say the driver of a white SUV was drunk and speeding with no headlights on before slamming into a parked car.
The victim, a 6-year-old girl, was sitting in the back of that parked vehicle.
The driver of that vehicle was charged with second degree manslaughter and DWI.
An eyewitness recalled watching the SUV speeding east down Hempstead Turnpike, through a red light with no headlights on.
"He was speeding like 100+ miles at least. People saw him at Cherry Valley here speeding through the car. There was a whole family there, so it was very bad," eyewitness Zein Mohamed said.
WATCH: Update on deadly crashes in Nassau County
Police say enough is enough with speeding and drunk driving.
"I was at the first scene in Massapequa yesterday, it was a horrific accident because of somebody driving excessively at fast speeds on our roads in Nassau County," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.
Investigations into the crashes are ongoing. Police have not revealed the identities of the drivers.
"It's just public awareness, you're killing families, it's 5 kids that's potentially going to die from this," said Nassau Police Dept. Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick.
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