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April 13, 2000: Student Dies After Car Accident - SUNY Albany Update
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Three young people, one of them a University at Albany student, lost their lives as a result of a car accident on Washington Avenue April 5.
James Scalone, a 20-year-old SUNY Albany junior, died at Albany Medical Center Hospital after emergency surgery for abdominal injuries and two broken legs. Aimee Pyskadlo, 19, a Hudson Valley Community College student from Cohoes, and Philip Katz, 23, of Albany, were killed when Scalone’s car crossed a double yellow line on Washington Avenue, authorities said.
Scalone, of St. James, Suffolk County, was traveling about 108 miles per hour at the time of the accident.
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April 4, 2001: Accident victims recalled - Alan Wechsler, Albany Times Union
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Before Wednesday afternoon, Agatha Pyskadlo hadn't been to the scene of the accident for nearly a year. Even Wednesday, it took some considerable effort to let her husband Joseph drive her to the place where her daughter died exactly one year ago.
But she made it -- "For our daughter," she said -- to a strip of grass off Washington Avenue where it crosses Route 85. There, she joined more than 100 people to remember two of the three people killed in a two-car collision last year -- Aimee Pyskadlo, 19, and Philip E. Katz, 23. They were killed in a head-on collision apparently caused by Paul Scalone, a University at Albany student.
The purpose of the gathering was to view a plaque commissioned by Katz's father. Once completed, it will be mounted to a large boulder -- approved by the city -- that will be left at the accident site.
After seeing the plaque, Agatha Pyskadlo broke into sobs.
It lists the victims' names, then reads:
Killed needlessly
in the middle of the afternoon
by a reckless driver.
"We toned it down from what it was," said Howard Katz of Clifton Park. "What we want here is not just a memorial of Aimee and Phil, but a reminder -- it can happen anytime, anywhere. Hopefully, people will pay attention."
At 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, 2000, Suffolk County resident Paul Scalone, 20, was speeding east on Washington Avenue -- possibly as fast as 100 miles an hour, according to police. He swerved in and out of traffic in his Chevrolet Cavalier, then passed slower cars by moving into the westbound lane. There, he smashed head-on into a Honda driving in the other direction. Inside were Katz, a disc jockey at an Albany bar, and Pyskadlo, a Hudson Valley Community College student from Cohoes.
The two were killed instantly. Scalone died the next day.
A year later, some are still angry, like the woman who criticized Scalone's family for not sending a card to the other families. But most came to the service Wednesday to talk about the things they remember about Philip and Aimee.
After a few people spoke by the side of the road, the crowd moved to the nearby Italian-American Club and spent more than an hour remembering the two. Though the victims had known each other for only a year, Philip had told his friends Aimee was his "soulmate."
Relatives of Aimee said she was a young woman who could charm people even at age 6, who loved "garbage bread," long showers and her family. Friends of Philip talked about a man who kept everybody laughing, stood up for his friends and never stopped trying to have a good time.
"There are just so many stories," said Leonard Marzigliano, a friend now living in Virginia. "He touched our lives."
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Fictional Account by Leonard T. Marzigliano |
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