Nine patients from Wayland van crash discharged, recovering

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Health leaders at Nicolas Noyes Hospital said nine patients from the fatal Wayland van crash have been discharged and are recovering. The van crash happened on Saturday morning, taking the lives of three people, and hospitalizing 10.

New York State Police said a passenger van with 13 people inside was on the road for vacation when it happened. A 12 year-old was pronounced dead on scene. Two adult victims were airlifted to Strong Memorial Hospital and one to St. James Hospital.

Noyes saw the most patients with nine victims; including a pregnant woman.

Dr. Chad Teeters, CEO for UR Medicine Noyes Health, was on-call-administrator that day.

“From the initial call to the time of arrival was minutes, before patients started arriving,” he said. “So the ED team started normal triage process.”

Doctors and nurses were working with seconds to determine what the most critical needs are. After the crash made the news, some doctors even volunteered their own time to come in.

“One of the beauties of a place like Noyes, is it really is a community taking care of itself,” he said.

The response wasn’t just Noyes; it was a lot of agencies working together at once. Several EMS and law enforcement crews sprang into action. But the day presented multiple challenges, including the pregnant woman.          

“She wound up passing away, and we had to deliver the baby in the course of that treatment,” said Teeters.

The baby also passed, about a day after being transported to Strong Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Another challenge was the language barrier, since the family was mostly Spanish-speaking.

“We had two interpreters on-site, providing and in those kind of events, there’s nothing to replace a live translator, especially for the highly emotional conversations,” he said.

The work isn’t for everyone; saving lives and caring for trauma patients. But it’s a calling for Teeters.

News10NBC couldn’t help but ask: What goes through his mind in these moments?

“It’s hard, as parent, as a husband, as a brother — not to envision yourself in that same circumstance, and not to share in those feelings and the trauma, of a family both struggling for their own life, and then worried about the lives of their friends and loved ones,” said Teeters. “So it certainly takes a toll.”

Four kids were involved in the crash, with ages ranging from one to 16. All have been released from the hospital. Teeters says family members were ejected.

The hospital is equipped with mental health specialists on-site, who are trained to help in these types of situations.

News10NBC has followed up with the New York State Police for any update on the investigation.