Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 49-year-old Brentwood truck driver was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries Saturday evening after his tractor-trailer overturned following a collision with a teenage driver who ran a red light in Dix Hills, according to Suffolk County Police.
The crash occurred when a 2007 Kenworth tractor-trailer traveling westbound on Express Drive North was struck by a 2022 Jeep Wrangler traveling northbound on Bagatelle Road, police said. The impact from the collision caused the massive truck to overturn, with the cab crashing into trees and striking a utility pole, authorities reported.
The truck driver, whose name has not been released, sustained serious injuries in the crash and was transported by Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment, according to police. The severity of his current condition has not been disclosed by authorities.
The driver of the Jeep Wrangler was identified as a 16-year-old female from Melville, police said. She was treated for her injuries at Huntington Hospital and later released the same day. Following the crash investigation, the teen driver was issued traffic summonses for driving out of class and failing to stop at a red light, according to Suffolk County Police.
The accident was announced by Suffolk County Police on Saturday, May 9, though the exact time of the collision has not been specified by authorities. The crash required the deployment of a Suffolk County Police Department helicopter for the medical evacuation, highlighting the severity of the truck driver’s injuries sustained in the rollover incident.
Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash and are seeking any additional witnesses or information about the incident. The intersection of Express Drive North and Bagatelle Road was likely closed for an extended period following the crash to allow for the emergency response, vehicle recovery, and accident reconstruction, though specific road closure details have not been provided by authorities.
Location & Road Context
The collision occurred at the intersection of Express Drive North and Bagatelle Road in Dix Hills, a hamlet in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County. This intersection represents a crossing point between two significant local roads, where Express Drive North runs in an east-west direction and Bagatelle Road travels north-south through the area.
Dix Hills is a residential community located in central Long Island, and both roadways serve as important local connectors for residents and commercial traffic moving through the area. The presence of a tractor-trailer on Express Drive North suggests the road accommodates commercial vehicle traffic, making proper adherence to traffic signals crucial for safety at intersections like this one.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are handling the ongoing investigation into the crash. Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact detectives at 631-854-8252, indicating that investigators are still gathering details about the circumstances leading up to the collision.
The 16-year-old Melville driver has been issued traffic summonses for two violations: driving out of class and failing to stop at a red light. The driving out of class violation suggests the teen may have been operating outside the restrictions of her junior driver’s license, while the red light violation appears to be the primary cause of the intersection collision that led to the truck’s rollover.
Broader Impact
This incident marks another serious crash in the Dix Hills area, following several other significant accidents in recent months including DWI-related crashes and multi-vehicle incidents. The deployment of a police helicopter for medical evacuation underscores the critical nature of injuries that can result from collisions involving large commercial vehicles, particularly when factors like running red lights create high-impact crash scenarios at intersections.