4 women dead after Long Island limo crash during bachelorette party

CUTCHOGUE, N.Y. -- Four women are dead, and three other people were injured after an SUV crashed into the side of a limousine on Long Island. The collision occurred just after 5 p.m. Saturday along Route 48 in Cutchogue.

Accident investigators were on the scene for hours trying to piece together just how the tragic accident occurred.

Eyewitness News is told that seven women riding in a limo were coming from a nearby winery, when they were making a turn. A red pick-up truck t-boned the limo at the intersection along Route 48, leaving a trail of shattered glass and wreckage. Police say the limo was trying to make a u-turn westbound when the red truck suddenly slammed into the middle passenger's side.

The seven women inside the limo were reportedly from out of town, and were celebrating a bachelorette party. When medics arrived, three women were trapped inside the limo, and were found dead. Another was pronounced dead at Peconic Bay Medical Center.

Two other women were airlifted to Stony Brook in critical condition. Both the driver, and the pickup truck driver suffered injuries, but they were not life-threatening.

Limousines are common in the area for people visiting the numerous wineries there.

Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said the driver of the pickup ran from the crash scene, but was caught and arrested for driving while intoxicated. Other charges could be pending.

The names of the victims have not been released, but they were believed to have been visiting Long Island from the New York City area.

The Suffolk County DA's office is now involved in the investigation, and there will likely be a press conference offering more information on Sunday.

The police chief said Saturday's crash was "one of the worst accidents I've ever seen."

The collision marked the second car crash with multiple fatalities on Long Island in the last several days.

Last Sunday, a father and his two children were killed when their sedan was rear-ended and the car burst into flames. His wife - the children's mother - escaped uninjured.

A Queens man was charged with driving while intoxicated in connection with the crash and another man was charged with driving his friend away from the scene. Both have pleaded not guilty and deny any wrongdoing.

(Some information from the Associated Press.)