Jamesport man dies in crash
COURTESY PHOTO
Austin Comando with his parents, Nanette and Michael.
A Jamesport man was killed and another Jamesport man was seriously injured in two separate car crashes on the North Fork Saturday.
Southold Town Police said Austin Comando, 24, was headed east on Main Road in Southold shortly before 6 p.m. when his 1993 Toyota Camry swerved into the westbound lane and struck a vehicle driven by Francisco Franco, 51, of Greenport. Mr. Comando died at the scene.
Mr. Franco was transported to Stony Brook Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
And in Jamesport early Saturday, Gaven Cizmeli, 18, was headed south on Manor Lane about 1 a.m. when his 1996 Nissan left the roadway and hit a telephone pole, ejecting him from the vehicle, which burst into flames, Riverhead Town Police said. He was not wearing a seat belt, police said.
Mr. Cizmeli was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center by the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance, and later moved to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, according to police. The vehicle was impounded for a safety inspection. Police said alcohol use was not suspected, although a status update posted to his Facebook page an hour before the crash indicated he was “drunk.”
Mr. Comando was a 2003 graduate of Southold High School and a 2007 graduate of the University of Connecticut, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. He worked as a financial adviser for Ameriprise Financial Services in Southampton as well as for the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company.
“For all of those who knew him by name and the rest who knew him by the smile on his face and wonderfully engaging and friendly personality, we are deeply saddened by Austin Comando’s sudden and terribly premature passing,” the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company posted on Facebook Monday morning. “Austin was an unbelievably nice kid that grew up … and became an outstanding young man who was [always] excited and enthusiastically willing to help out at the brewery.”
He is the son of Michael Comando, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the 1st District county legislator seat against Ed Romaine in 2008. The senior Mr. Comando also lost a bid for state Senate to current Senator Kenneth LaValle in 2006. A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the North Fork Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Main Road in Jamesport.
The family is requesting that donations in lieu of flowers be made to Camp Joslin, a camp for children with diabetes, where Mr. Comando served as a counselor for several years.
