The family of a driver, involved in a crash with a Falls Police cruiser, has taken issue with a press release from the city on the incident that indicated no one had been “seriously injured” in the accident at the intersection of Niagara Falls Boulevard and 80th Street Wednesday morning.
Family members of Rosario Corieri, 87, said the Falls resident has been transferred to the trauma unit at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo for treatment of a brain bleed after being initially evaluated at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center following the accident.
“My husband is very seriously ill,” said Maryanne Corieri during an interview with the Gazette on Friday. “He was taken by ambulance to Niagara Falls Memorial. After all the tests, they found he had a brain bleed so he was taken by ambulance to ECMC trauma center.”
“He’s been through so many different cancers and all kinds of things,” she added. “At this age, it’s hard to jump back to the way you were before. He’s weaker than he used to be. He was just starting to get on his feet because he’s had some other serious issues.”
The crash, which happened at 10:22 Wednesday, remains under investigation by Falls Police Crash Management Unit investigators. In a press release issued by police, investigators said a marked Falls Police cruiser, identified as car No. 81, was traveling east on Niagara Falls Boulevard, responding to a call for service in “emergency mode.”
According to the release, the cruiser passed through a red light at the 80th Street intersection and struck a 2010 Nissan that had also entered the intersection, heading north. The force of the crash spun the police cruiser into a 2016 Jeep that was heading westbound, the city release indicated.
The driver of the Jeep, a 44-year-old man, was checked for injuries at the crash scene and received no treatment.
Police said the driver of the patrol car, Officer Kyle Bond, an eight-year veteran of the force, and Corieri, the driver of the Nissan, were taken to NFMMC by ambulance for evaluation.
The press release indicated that both men were later discharged from NFMMC after treatment for what were described as “non-life-threatening injuries.”
Roy Corieri said his father was initially evaluated for injuries at NFMMC as the city indicated, however, he was not released and was instead transferred, by ambulance, to the trauma unit at ECMC.
As of Friday, Roy Corieri said his father remained in ECMC where he was being treated for a brain bleed and broken ribs.
“They are monitoring it very closely right now,” Roy Corieri said.
Roy Corieri said his father was driving alone, traveling north on 80th Street and, when the light turned green, started to proceed through the intersection when his vehicle was struck by the eastbound patrol car.
“The police officer did manage to avoid him enough to where he didn’t hit my father’s driver’s side door otherwise it would probably have been much worse,” Roy Corieri said.
“My father claims he did not hear a siren. I don’t know if the police car actually had the siren on. I guess that would be something they will be looking into,” he added.
Witnesses to the crash told investigators that they heard the siren of the patrol car and saw its flashing lights as it approached the intersection.
Friday afternoon, police investigators said that at the time their press release was issued, EMTs who treated the crash victims at the scene had reported to them that none of the individuals involved in the crash appeared to be seriously injured. The investigators said subsequent testing, including a CAT scan of Corieri, led to the discovery of a brain bleed and his transfer to ECMC.
As of Friday evening, police said they have been told that doctors at ECMC have been able to “stabilize” Corieri’s condition.