2 dead, 18 injured after coach bus crosses median on Long Island Expressway in Queens
2 dead, 18 injured in Long Island Expressway crash in Queens
An overnight crash involving a coach bus and multiple passenger vehicles on the Long Island Expressway (LIE) has left two people dead and nearly 20 others hospitalized.
QUEENS - An overnight crash involving a coach bus and multiple passenger vehicles on the Long Island Expressway (LIE) has left two people dead and nearly 20 others hospitalized.
What we know:
A coach bus traveling westbound crashed into a vehicle around 11:45 p.m. Monday near Exit 16. That initial collision caused the bus to flip over the barrier, cross into oncoming traffic and crash into other vehicles, before flipping onto its side.
The fatal crash triggered a massive emergency response, with 79 fire and emergency personnel on the scene, alongside the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad.
Two people are dead, one is in critical condition and 17 others are stable. Police have confirmed that the deceased victims are the 35-year-old driver of the bus and one of the bus passengers.
What we don't know:
The identities of the deceased victims have yet to be released. Police have also not disclosed the bus's intended destination or the total number of passengers on board at the time of the crash.
Local perspective:
The crash and investigation forced authorities to shut down all eastbound and westbound lanes overnight. The total closure resulted in massive gridlock, with some stranded motorists seen stepping out of their stationary vehicles during the delay.
As of Tuesday morning, the NYPD has cleared the primary wreckage from the roadway. Traffic is also flowing again on the westbound LIE.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by the NYPD and reporting by FOX 5.