Medford, NY — Crash Data, Roads, History & Law
Medford is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, with 24,247 residents at the 2020 Census. Federal crash records show 24 fatal crashes that killed 24 people within its boundaries from 2010 through 2024 — 4 of them on foot. Long Island Expressway (I-495) accounted for more of those deaths (5) than any other road. Residents who commute travel an average of 32.3 minutes each way.
Long Island Town Fact Book · Updated · Sources & method
Medford at a glance
- Status
- Hamlet (unincorporated; census-designated place)
- Town
- Brookhaven
- County
- Suffolk County
- Population (2020 Census)
- 24,247[C]
- Housing units (2020)
- 8,416
- Land area
- 10.8 sq mi
- Density
- 2,245 people per sq mi
- Average commute
- 32.3 minutes[B]
- Traffic deaths, 2010–2024
- 24[A]
- ZIP Code
- 11763
- Legal status
- Unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County[1]
- State road
- NY 112 (Main Street corridor) runs through Medford[2]
- Prior written notice law
- Town of Brookhaven Code Chapter 84, § 84-1 (adopted 1987)[1]
- Census geography
- Medford CDP · GEOID 3646404 · GNIS 2389468
- Coordinates
- 40.8220°N, 72.9859°W
Hamlets in New York have no legal boundary or government of their own. Figures here use the Census Bureau's census-designated place, the standard statistical outline for the community; local usage of the name can be wider or narrower.
Fatal crashes in Medford, 2010–2024
From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2024, 24 people died in 24 crashes on public roads inside Medford, according to the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System.[A] Pedestrians account for 4 of those deaths (17%). The deadliest year was 2010, with 3 deaths.
- Fatal crashes
- 24
- People killed
- 24
- Pedestrians
- 4
- Bicyclists
- 0
- Motorcyclists
- 5
- Vehicle occupants
- 15
2024 figures come from NHTSA's Annual Report File and may be revised.
View the chart as a table
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3 | 3 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 |
| 2022 | 3 | 3 |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 |
Roads where people died
| Road | Crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway (I-495) | 5 | 5 |
| Long Island Expressway service road (Express Drive) | 4 | 4 |
| Route 112 | 4 | 4 |
| County Route 16 | 3 | 3 |
| Hospital Rd | 1 | 1 |
| NY 906A | 1 | 1 |
| County Route 101 | 1 | 1 |
| Granny Rd | 1 | 1 |
Road names as recorded by police and normalised to common Long Island names.
When and where
- Of the 24 crashes with a recorded time, 12 happened between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., 5 between 4 and 8 p.m., 5 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and 2 between 6 and 10 a.m.
- 46% happened in darkness.
- 5 of the 24 deaths were on expressways or parkways; 19 were on arterials and local streets.
- In at least 4 crashes, a driver had a reported blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. This counts known test results only; NHTSA's official alcohol estimates, which impute untested drivers, are higher.
Who owns the roads where they happened (2015–2024)
FARS has recorded the owner of the roadway since 2015. Of the 13 fatal crashes in Medford since then:
- State highways 8 (62%)
- Town roads 3 (23%)
- County roads 2 (15%)
Ownership matters in New York because claims against a county, town, city or village generally require a notice of claim within 90 days (General Municipal Law § 50-e), while claims against the State are brought in the Court of Claims under Court of Claims Act § 10. This is general information, not legal advice.
Rate: 6.6 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year, against 9.1 for Suffolk County. This is a resident-based rate, not a measure of how risky the roads are to drive: crashes are counted where they happen, not where the people involved live, so a small community crossed by a major highway shows a high rate.
The 15 most recent fatal crashes
| Date | Time | Road | Deaths | Who died | Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | 1 a.m. | Long Island Expressway service road (Express Drive) at Horseblock Rd (CR 16) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark |
| 9 p.m. | Hospital Rd at E Woodside Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 12 a.m. | Route 112 | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 12 a.m. | Long Island Expressway (I-495) | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 8 p.m. | NY 906A at Horseblock Rd (CR 16) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 12 a.m. | Long Island Expressway (I-495) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 11 p.m. | Route 112 | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 12 p.m. | County Route 101 at Station Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 2 p.m. | Long Island Expressway (I-495) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 10 p.m. | Route 112 | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 9 p.m. | County Route 16 | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dusk | |
| 5 p.m. | Long Island Expressway service road (Express Drive) at Old Medford Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 3 a.m. | Granny Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 6 a.m. | Horseblock Rd at Old Medford Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dawn | |
| 12 p.m. | Jamaica Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight |
FARS contains no names or personal identifiers. * 2024 records are preliminary. Download all 24 records (CSV) · How this was compiled
Recent Medford Incident Reports
BMW Stolen, Then Used to Ram Nissan and Smash Showroom Window at Medford Dealership
BMW and Dodge Charger Stolen from Nissan 112 Dealership in Medford Burglary
BMW and Dodge Charger Stolen from Nissan 112 Dealership in Medford Burglary. Suffolk County. September 3, 2026.
Motorcyclist, 20, of Patchogue Killed in Route 112 Crash at Southaven Avenue in Medford
Motorcyclist, 20, of Patchogue Killed in Route 112 Crash at Southaven Avenue in Medford. August 30, 2026.
Motorcyclist, 20, of Patchogue Killed in Route 112 Crash at Southaven Avenue in Medford
Motorcyclist, 20, of Patchogue Killed in Route 112 Crash at Southaven Avenue. Suffolk County. August 29, 2026.
Medford Resident, 49, Seriously Injured After Ford Truck Strikes Her Electric Scooter on Lake Drive
Suffolk Street Takeover Task Force Arrests 15, Impounds 7 Cars in Medford Crackdown
Updated continuously from 511NY, NYSP, NCPD, and SCPD feeds — all Long Island reports.
All reported crashes in the Town of Brookhaven, 2021–2024
New York's crash file codes each crash to a town, city or village — never to a hamlet — so the finest official count that covers Medford is for the Town of Brookhaven, which contains it. Police reported 44,155 crashes there from 2021 through 2024 — about 30.2 a day. 11,428 (25.9%) injured someone and 172 were fatal. [D]
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,663 | 10,234 | 11,739 | 11,519 | 44,155 |
- Injury crashes
- 11,428
- Fatal crashes
- 172
- Struck a pedestrian
- 445
- Struck a bicyclist
- 390
- Struck a deer
- 599
Counts are crashes, not people. The municipality is entered by the reporting police agency, and coding is less consistent for small villages, so compare places with care.
How Medford gets to work
Medford commuters travel an average of 32.3 minutes each way, 1.2 minutes longer than the Suffolk County average (the national average is 26.4 minutes). About 73.6% of workers drive alone. [B]
| Measure | Medford | Suffolk County | New York State | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average one-way commute | 32.3 min ±7.2 | 31.1 min | 32.6 min | 26.4 min |
| Commute 60 minutes or longer | 17% ±4.9 | 14.1% | 16.8% | 8.6% |
| Commute under 15 minutes | 24% ±4.1 | 22.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Drive alone | 73.6% ±11.7 | 72.1% | 48.8% | 68.8% |
| Carpool | 8.8% ±2.2 | 7.5% | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Commuter rail (LIRR) | 6.7% ±4.3 † | 3.2% | 1.8% | 0.3% |
| Bus | 0.2% ±0.3 † | 0.6% | 5.1% | 1.5% |
| Walk | 0.9% ±0.8 † | 1.4% | 5.6% | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 8% ±1.8 | 12% | 14.9% | 15.1% |
| Leave home before 6 a.m. | 16% ±3.8 | 12% | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| Households with no vehicle | 3.3% ±2.1 † | 5.1% | 29.2% | 8.4% |
| Households with three or more vehicles | 30.9% ±5 | 28.8% | 11.8% | 21.9% |
Survey estimates for 12,036 workers aged 16 and over; ± values are 90% margins of error. † Small sample — the margin of error is large relative to the estimate, so treat the figure as indicative only. Travel-time rows exclude people who work from home.
How the roads got here
NY 112 is a state-maintained touring route; the New York State Department of Transportation's own route description runs it through "Patchogue, Medford, Coram, Port Jefferson Station" before it meets NY 25A, confirming Medford as one of the named waypoints on this state highway.[2]
Government, courts and policing
Medford has no government of its own; it is an unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Brookhaven. This fact book could not determine with confidence, from the Suffolk County Police Department's own precinct pages, whether the Fifth or Sixth Precinct is responsible for Medford: the Fifth Precinct describes its territory as "the southern portion of Brookhaven Town, the eastern portion of Islip Town, and the incorporated villages of Patchogue and Bellport," while the Sixth Precinct's page states only that it "protects and serves several hamlets and incorporated villages within the Town of Brookhaven (North)" without naming them; neither page names Medford.[3][4]
Civil claims against the Town of Brookhaven over a defective or dangerous street, highway, bridge, culvert or crosswalk are governed by Town of Brookhaven Code Chapter 84, "Notice of Defective or Dangerous Conditions," adopted June 16, 1987 (Local Law No. 7-1987) and most recently amended March 10, 2016. Section 84-1 provides that "[n]o civil action shall be commenced against the Town of Brookhaven or the Superintendent of Highways for damages or injuries to persons or property sustained by reason of the defective, out-of-repair, unsafe, dangerous or obstructed condition of any highway, street, bridge, culvert, or crosswalk or pedestrian walkway open to the public" unless written notice was first given to the Town Clerk or Superintendent of Highways.[1]
Higher-level civil and criminal matters from Brookhaven hamlets are handled within the Suffolk County court system, whose 10th Judicial District administrative offices are at 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip.[5]
Major roads in Medford
| Road | Route | Maintained by | In Medford |
|---|---|---|---|
| NY 112 [2] | NY 112 | New York State | runs through the hamlet |
Emergency Resources
Hospitals
- NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk — 101 Hospital Road, Patchogue, NY 11772 — 631-654-7100 (Formerly Long Island Community Hospital / Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, in neighboring Patchogue; operates a Provisional Level 2 Trauma Center. Listed here as the nearest hospital this fact book could verify; exact distance from Medford was not measured.)
Police
- Suffolk County Police Department (precinct unconfirmed)
Courts
- Suffolk County 10th Judicial District Administrative Office — 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722 — 631-208-5600
Local Driver Services in Medford
Practical resources for Medford drivers — tire shops, gas prices, and live traffic conditions.
Safety Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do after a car accident in Medford, NY?
Call 911 immediately. SCPD's 5th Precinct will respond. Document the scene with photos, exchange insurance information, and collect witness contact details. File a police report and notify your insurer under New York's no-fault law.
Which roads are most dangerous in Medford?
The LIE through Medford at Exit 64 (Route 112) sees frequent high-speed collisions. Route 112 carries heavy commercial traffic connecting the LIE to the Sunrise Highway corridor with numerous driveway conflicts. Horseblock Road handles substantial east-west traffic with speed compliance issues.
Where is the nearest hospital to Medford?
Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue is the closest emergency facility, approximately ten minutes south via Route 112. Stony Brook University Hospital, the region's Level I trauma center, is accessible via the LIE heading west.
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Data: machine-readable fact sheet (JSON) · fatal-crash records (CSV) · methodology and limits
References
Datasets
- [A] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2010–2024 national files. Retrieved September 17, 2026.Crashes on public trafficways in which a person died within 30 days. No personal identifiers. Placed by reported coordinates into 2020 Census boundaries.
- [B] U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, tables B08303, B08013, B08301, B08302, B08201, B19013, B01002. Retrieved September 17, 2026.Survey estimates with 90% margins of error. lowReliability = coefficient of variation above 30%.
- [C] U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb — 2020 Census tabulation geography (POP100, HU100, AREALAND). Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- [D] New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Vehicle Crashes — Case Information: Four Year Window. Retrieved September 17, 2026.Police-reported crashes coded to a town, city or village by the reporting agency. Hamlets are not coded; hamlet pages show the parent town.
Sources for history, roads and law
- [1] Town of Brookhaven (ecode360.com). Chapter 84, Notice of Defective or Dangerous Conditions (2026). Government record.
- [2] New York State Department of Transportation. Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycle Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (2017). Government record.
- [3] Suffolk County Police Department. Fifth Precinct (2026). Government record.
- [4] Suffolk County Police Department. Sixth Precinct (2026). Government record.
- [5] New York State Unified Court System (nycourts.gov). 10th Judicial District – Suffolk County (2026). Court decision.
- [6] NYU Langone Health. NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk (2026). Institution.
Sources opened and checked September 17, 2026.