Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 65-year-old truck driver was struck and killed on the westbound Long Island Expressway near Exit 27 early Wednesday morning, December 18, 2024, in a crash that shut down all westbound lanes during the heart of the morning rush hour. According to CBS New York, the FDNY responded to the scene shortly after 5 a.m., where they found a fatal collision involving two commercial trucks near the Clearview Expressway interchange.
Police said the sequence of events began when the victim’s flatbed truck became disabled and was pulled over on the side of the roadway. The 65-year-old driver had exited his vehicle and was standing outside it on the shoulder when a second truck came through and struck the corner of the flatbed. That collision sent the flatbed into the driver, who was still standing alongside it. The impact proved fatal — the 65-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to CBS New York.
The driver of the second truck, whose age and identity were not released in initial reports, remained at the scene following the crash, police said. No charges had been announced at the time of reporting, and the incident remained under investigation. The precise speed of the second truck, road surface conditions, and lighting conditions at the time of the predawn collision were not detailed in initial reports.
The FDNY was among the first responders to arrive at the crash site, which is located near the junction of the LIE and the Clearview Expressway — a notoriously busy interchange connecting Queens to the expressway network leading east into Long Island. The crash brought westbound traffic to a complete standstill as all lanes were shut down to allow emergency personnel to work the scene and investigators to begin piecing together the circumstances of the fatal incident.
By 8:30 a.m. — more than three hours after the initial crash — delays on the westbound LIE had grown dramatically, stretching well past Shelter Rock Road and pushing into Nassau County, according to CBS New York. During the closure, westbound traffic was being diverted from the LIE’s main lanes to the service road at the Clearview Expressway. The ripple effects extended to the Northern State Parkway as well, which also experienced significant backups as commuters sought alternate paths around the closure. Authorities recommended that drivers use the Southern State Parkway as an alternate route if possible. The LIE eventually reopened several hours after the crash, though an exact reopening time was not specified in initial reports.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place on the westbound Long Island Expressway (I-495) near Exit 27, at the Clearview Expressway interchange — one of the most heavily traveled junctions in the New York metro area, serving as a critical connection point between Queens and Long Island for hundreds of thousands of commuters each week. The stretch of roadway near Exit 27 sees significant truck traffic as well as passenger vehicles, particularly during the early morning hours when commercial deliveries are common.
The LIE is one of the most incident-prone highways in the region. Long Island Traffic’s database currently records 795 incidents on this corridor alone, with recent crashes including multiple collisions and at least one overturned vehicle in the days surrounding this event. The sheer volume of commercial truck traffic on the expressway, combined with the frequency of disabled vehicles along its shoulder, makes the section near the Clearview Expressway interchange a persistent flashpoint for dangerous roadway interactions, particularly in low-visibility predawn hours.
Broader Impact
This crash highlights a well-documented and deadly hazard: the danger faced by commercial truck drivers who exit their vehicles on the shoulder of high-speed, high-volume expressways. Disabled vehicle situations on the LIE — particularly those involving large flatbed trucks parked on or near active travel lanes — create extreme risk for drivers who must step outside to assess damage, place warning markers, or await assistance. New York State’s Move Over Law requires drivers to slow down and, where possible, change lanes when approaching emergency vehicles and stopped vehicles with hazard lights activated on the shoulder, but enforcement on high-speed limited-access highways like the LIE remains a persistent challenge. The early morning timing of this crash — just after 5 a.m., in dark conditions — further underscores how vulnerable roadside workers and stranded motorists can be on one of Long Island’s busiest corridors.