On May 18th, a tractor-trailer traveling westbound overturned and went through the center median, ending up partially in the eastbound HOV lane. The accident happened in Lake Success between Exit 34, New Hyde Park Road, and Exit 32, Little Neck Parkway, according to News 12.
The truck was carrying gravel which spilled out onto the roadway initially blocking traffic in both directions. It took crews about 4 hours to clear the westbound lanes, while two eastbound lanes were cleared and opened sooner. The roadway was completely reopened at about 5:30 p.m., but vehicles in both directions were still backed up for miles, reports ABC News.
The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment of unknown injuries, and it was reported no one else was hurt in the accident, said ABC News.
Unfortunately, tractor-trailer accidents are not that rare on Long Island. Businesses depend on timely delivery of their products that are often transported by truck. Even with federal and state regulations, all too often truck drivers drive their rigs for long hours without taking all-important breaks. A drowsy driver of a large vehicle, often hauling a heavy load, can be a potentially dangerous, if not deadly situation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTS) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Encyclopedia, in 2011, in New York, there were 499 documented fatalities involving light trucks and 112 fatalities involving large trucks. In 2010, there were 474 and 116 deaths related to these trucks, respectively.
