What Happened
A 27-year-old Center Moriches man was struck on the Long Island Expressway in Melville early Sunday morning after he got out of his car to check crash damage and was hit by a second vehicle, Suffolk County Police said. The incident unfolded in the eastbound HOV lane near Exit 50 at approximately 5:50 a.m.
According to Greater Long Island, Paven Putt Bhat was driving a 2025 Nissan Altima eastbound when it struck the median. Bhat exited the vehicle to inspect the damage. A 2019 Honda Civic driven by Cristian Guevara, 28, then struck Bhat on the roadway, police said.
Bhat was transported to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, where he is being treated for serious injuries, Suffolk Police confirmed. His condition has not been further specified by authorities.
At the scene, police determined Guevara had been driving while impaired by drugs and found narcotics on both Guevara and his passenger, John Hurtado-Conde, 31, of Flanders, Greater Long Island reports. Police did not release Guevara’s hometown.
Guevara was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and two counts of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia, police said. Hurtado-Conde was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and two counts of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia.
Location & Road Context
Exit 50 on the LIE eastbound falls within the Melville corridor of the expressway in western Suffolk County. The HOV lane runs along the median, meaning Bhat was standing in a high-speed through zone when the second vehicle struck him.
The LIE has seen 97 recorded incidents in the past 30 days and 473 so far in 2026, according to Long Island Traffic’s incident registry. The most recent prior fatal crash on the corridor occurred August 26, 2026. Sunday’s crash also follows a cluster of LIE incidents at nearby locations, including a crash that closed all eastbound lanes at Melville on September 13 and a separate drug-impaired driving arrest on the LIE the same day as Sunday’s crash.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Guevara and Hurtado-Conde are scheduled to be arraigned Monday at Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip on all charges, per Greater Long Island. Suffolk County Police did not specify what controlled substances were recovered at the scene.
Guevara’s drug-impaired driving charge carries potential penalties including license revocation and jail time under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law. The third-degree criminal possession counts, the more serious drug possession charges filed against both men, are felonies under New York Penal Law § 220.16.
Broader Impact
A person standing in an active HOV lane after a crash faces the same exposure as a pedestrian in live traffic. New York law does not require drivers involved in a crash to remain inside their vehicles, but Suffolk police and traffic safety officials have consistently warned that median-side lanes on the LIE carry vehicles moving at highway speeds with minimal shoulder clearance. Bhat’s injuries reflect that geometry directly.