Armonk Woman Among Two Dead in Route 9A Crash in Hawthorne
An accident involving a motorcycle and a car on Route 9A in Hawthorne on Wednesday claimed the lives of a 79-year-old Armonk woman and a New Rochelle man.
Mount Pleasant police said the accident occurred at about 3:45 p.m. at the intersection of Dana Road and Route 9A.
Pronounced dead at Westchester Medical Center were Joanne Ballengee of Armonk, who was seated in the front passenger seat of a four-door Buick sedan, and Giuseppe Scaccia, 28, of New Rochelle, the motorcycle operator.
Police said Scaccia was traveling southbound on Route 9A when his motorcycle struck the passenger side of the four-door Buick sedan while making a left turn into the Home Depot access road. The sedan was driven by Robert Ballengee, 84, the husband of Joanne Ballengee.
Scaccia, who had left work at Optimum at 2 Saw Mill River Rd. in Hawthorne, was thrown from the motorcycle and hit the windshield of a van, driven by Walter Rosendo Solis of White Plains. Solis was stopped in the northbound turning lane of Route 9A at the time of impact.
Scaccia and Mrs. Ballengee were rushed from the scene to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, police said. Mr. Ballengee was admitted to Westchester Medical Center. He was conscious at the accident scene but his condition is unknown, according to authorities.
Officers from the Westchester County Department of Public Safety were the first to arrive at the accident scene. Mount Pleasant police requested assistance from the county’s accident reconstruction team. The Hawthorne Fire Department assisted with fire and ambulance apparatus.
Route 9A was shut down for several hours during the accident investigation.
The three vehicles involved in the accident were towed to Mount Pleasant’s secure impound yard where the investigation is continuing.
Because the accident involved fatalities, the Westchester County district attorney’s office was notified. No charges have been filed, although the investigation is continuing, according to Mount Pleasant police.
