**Injury update as of December 18, 2023: The driver of the motor home remains hospitalized but is in stable condition. The three [3] year old child has been discharged and is with family.
Wyoming County Deputies provided necessary comforts in aftermath
Incident Date: December 17, 2023 0933hrs
Location: State Route 20A at State Route 238 Town of Orangeville
Details from the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office:
On December 17, 2023, at approximately 0933hrs, the Wyoming County 911 Center received an emergency call for a two vehicle collision on State Route 20A at State Route 238 in the Town of Orangeville. It was reported that a full sized tractor trailer had collided with a full sized motor home.
First responders arrived on scene to find both involved vehicles off the roadway, and a total of nine [9] patients were in need of medical care, including four [4] adults and five [5] children.
Warsaw Fire Department, Varysburg Fire Department, North Java Fire Department, Wyoming County EMS, Mercy Flight, and Wyoming County Office of Emergency Management responded to the scene for medical care. Following on scene treatment, most occupants signed off and did not require transport to hospitals. The adult driver of the motor home was flown by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. A three [3] year old child, with the uninjured mother, was transported by Wyoming County EMS to Oishei’s Children’s Hospital with a non-life threatening injury.
Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigated the scene and determined the tractor trailer was the at fault vehicle for the collision. It was determined that Leonard K. Lwindi, age 30 of Amherst, NY, was operating a 2019 International tractor with trailer northbound on Hermitage Road in the Town of Orangeville. As the tractor trailer approached the intersection with State Route 20A, Lwindi failed to stop for the stop sign at the intersection and drove into oncoming traffic at full speed. Simultaneously, a westbound 2008 Gulf motorhome was traveling through the intersection, and was occupied by a family from New Jersey traveling to Niagara Falls. Both vehicles collided within the intersection, causing both vehicles to exit the roadway. Lwindi was found to be at fault for the collision and was subsequently issued a traffic citation for VTL 1172-A Failure To Stop At Stop Sign, and Lwindi was scheduled to answer the charge in the Town of Orangeville Court at a later date. Investigation continues, and further charges are possible.
Other agencies assisting the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office at the scene were New York State Police, DMR Towing, and Valley Sales & Service.
Following medical transports, four [4] children ranging from age seven [7] to fifteen [15] were left stranded at the scene. A Wyoming County Deputy Sheriff transported all four [4] children to Oishei’s Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, NY to be reunited with their family. Two notable acts of kindness occurred during this transport. Some of the children were left without shoes following the collision. The Deputy Sheriff stopped at Dollar General in Varysburg, NY, and the store graciously donated the needed footwear, along with drinks for all of the children. Also while en route to the hospital, the Deputy Sheriff stopped and provided a meal to all four [4] children. The Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office commends both Dollar General and the Deputy Sheriff for their selfless, generous acts during this holiday season.
Names will not be released at this time.
