Farmingdale student on board fatal bus crash recounts harrowing moments
Several prayer services were held at the church to comfort the community in the aftermath of the accident which killed two people and left over a dozen injured.
•
Sep 24, 2023, 4:30 PM
•
Updated 306 days ago
Share:
More Stories
0:49
Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes
3h ago0:49
New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester
3h ago2:04
Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley
3h ago1:54
Boar’s Head deli meat recalled for potential listeria contamination
3h ago1:52
Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak
4h ago0:17
Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service
5h ago0:49
Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes
3h ago0:49
New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester
3h ago2:04
Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley
3h ago1:54
Boar’s Head deli meat recalled for potential listeria contamination
3h ago1:52
Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak
4h ago0:17
Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service
5h agoA 14-year-old freshman at Farmingdale High School who was on board the bus that crashed last week in Orange County recounted to News 12 the tragedy that left two dead and dozens of her friends injured.
Authorities say the bus filled with band members from Farmingdale High School was en route to band camp in Pennsylvania when it careened off the road and tumbled 50 feet down an embankment.
Shayra Dionicio was riding in the rear with her bandmates when the accident happened.
"I just remember the bus shaking, and the bus flipped," she said.
Dionicio doesn't know what happened after the crash. All she remembers is waking up in a hospital bed.
"I got a couple of cuts on my back, my right leg, a lot of bruising all over my body, too. Right now, I'm using this neck collar since it's difficult to move around," she said.
Farmingdale High School band director Gina Pellettiere and former history teacher Beatrice Ferrari were killed in the crash. Pellettiere, 43, was the band director for nearly 20 years and known by the nickname “Miss P” among marching band members.
Visitation hours for Pellettiere are scheduled for Tuesday from 4-8 p.m., Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. and then 7-9 p.m. at the South Chapel Funeral Home in Massapequa Park. Her funeral service will be held at 10:45 a.m. on Thursday at the Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church.
Ferrari, 77, had retired after 30 years as a history teacher at Farmingdale High School but still served as chaperone on school trips.
Her visitation hours are set for Monday and Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. and again from 7-9 p.m. at Mccourt and Trudden Funeral Home in Farmingdale. Her funeral services will begin on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at St. Kilian Parish in Farmingdale.
