Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A woman was injured Thursday afternoon after a two-car crash in North Lindenhurst sent her vehicle smashing through the lobby of a church on Route 109, according to News 12 Long Island. The collision — one of the more dramatic traffic incidents to strike the community this year — unfolded at 12:29 p.m. on May 20, 2026, at the intersection of Albany Avenue and Route 109, a busy mid-Island commercial corridor in the hamlet of North Lindenhurst, in the Town of Babylon.
The crash involved two vehicles meeting at the Albany Avenue and Route 109 intersection. Upon impact, one of the two cars involved was driven off its course with enough force to carry it into the entrance of a church situated at 1179 Route 109, which sits in close proximity to that intersection. The vehicle breached the church’s lobby — a frightening outcome that transformed what might have been a standard two-car fender collision into a major structural incident with potential risk to anyone who happened to be inside the building at the time of impact.
The driver — a woman — was transported from the scene to a local hospital to receive treatment for her injuries, according to the Suffolk County Police Department, as reported by News 12 Long Island journalist Mike Smollins. Authorities described her injuries as not life-threatening, offering some measure of relief given the violent nature of the collision and the extent of apparent damage to the church building. No further details about the woman’s identity, age, or hometown were immediately released by investigators.
Notably, in what may be counted as fortunate given the circumstances, there were no other injuries reported in connection with the crash — neither from the occupants of the second vehicle involved in the collision, nor from any individuals who may have been present inside the church at the time the car broke through its entrance. Suffolk County Police Department responded to the scene, and the crash investigation was opened, per the report by News 12 Long Island.
The cause of the collision — including whether speed, driver error, signal violation, or any other factor contributed to the impact — had not been released by authorities at the time of initial reporting. The specific type or make of the vehicles involved was also not disclosed. Suffolk County Police were on scene and the investigation was described as ongoing as of the time the story was published Thursday afternoon.
The news was first reported at 5:23 p.m. on May 20, 2026, by News 12 Long Island correspondent Mike Smollins, drawing on information provided by the Suffolk County Police Department. No additional official statements from police or church representatives had been released by the time of publication, and the identities of the drivers involved in the crash were withheld from initial reports.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Albany Avenue and Route 109 in North Lindenhurst, a densely populated hamlet within the Town of Babylon on Long Island’s South Shore. Route 109, also known locally as Wellwood Avenue in neighboring stretches, is a significant north-south arterial roadway that threads through multiple Suffolk County communities, connecting commercial strips, residential neighborhoods, and houses of worship. The stretch near Albany Avenue sees steady midday traffic given its proximity to local businesses and community institutions — including the church at 1179 Route 109 that bore the brunt of Thursday’s incident.
Intersections along Route 109 in this area have historically been the site of traffic conflicts, owing to a combination of commercial driveways, cross-traffic volumes, and the pace of vehicles traveling along the state route. The church at 1179 Route 109 sits close enough to the Albany Avenue intersection that the force of a two-car collision at that corner proved sufficient to send a vehicle through its lobby doors — a proximity that underscores the vulnerability of roadside buildings at high-conflict intersections.
Broader Impact
This incident adds to a troubling recent pattern of serious accidents in and around Lindenhurst. In January 2026, a pedestrian was killed in a Lindenhurst crash. Before that, a motorcycle officer was injured in a Lindenhurst truck accident in November 2025, and a Nassau County highway patrol officer on a motorcycle was injured in a crash during a funeral procession in Lindenhurst just a month earlier in October 2025. Thursday’s collision — in which a vehicle ended up inside a church lobby — is the latest reminder that the Route 109 corridor and its surrounding intersections warrant continued attention from traffic safety planners and local authorities. Motorists traveling through North Lindenhurst on Route 109 should remain alert, particularly at the Albany Avenue intersection where this crash occurred.