Carissa Castillo of Shirley Identified as Victim in Southampton Crash

Carissa Castillo, a 29-year-old Shirley resident and mother of two, died Thursday morning when the SUV she was behind the wheel of collided with a bus on County Road 39, according to Southampton Town police.

Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa said that Castillo was in the left eastbound lane when her vehicle crossed into westbound traffic, striking a Hampton Jitney head-on. It appears that Castillo died instantaneously, Costa said. The driver and an attendant on the Hampton Jitney, which was carrying no passengers, were taken to Southampton Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, she said.

The accident was reported at 7:05 a.m. near St. Andrews Road, police said. The road closed between Tuckahoe Lane and Tuckahoe Road, with traffic diverted in both directions. Around 12:15 p.m., police reopened one of the two eastbound lanes. The road was entirely opened after 3:00 p.m.

The road closure caused traffic to back up for miles on County Road 39 and Sunrise Highway to the East Quogue exit. The heavy delays also spread to Montauk Highway, which runs parallel to County Road 39 and Sunrise Highway.