Suffolk Van Driver ID'd In Long Island Expressway Crash

MELVILLE, NY — Police identified a van driver who had to be airlifted Monday morning from the scene of a crash on the Long Island Expressway. Jeffrey Browne, 30, of East Islip, was driving a black 2018 Ford van in the eastbound lanes around 10:40 a.m. when he smashed into the back of a 2007 Freightliner box truck near Exit 50, authorities said. The truck driver had been stopped in traffic near Bagatelle Road in Melville, police said.

The van became pinned underneath the truck, a dispatcher for the Melville Volunteer Fire Department told Patch, and firefighters reportedly needed nearly 50 minutes to remove Browne from the mangled vehicle. A Suffolk County police helicopter landed on the highway and flew Browne to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. He was expected to live, police said.

Roberto Delgado-Aaraujo, 48, of Newark, New Jersey, was driving the box truck and was not hurt, police said.

Traffic on the busy expressway remained at a standstill for several hours as multiple police and medical vehicles swarmed the crash site. Video at the scene showed bumper-to-bumper traffic as officers refused to allow traffic to pass eastbound. Instead, traffic was diverted to the westbound lanes through the median.

Photos posted on social media showed Browne's van pinned underneath the rear of the white box truck. A debris field of twisted metal was strewn around the crash site.

All lanes reopened on the expressway around 4:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

Inspectors performed a safety check on the truck and released the vehicle. The van has been impounded for a safety check.

David Kaplan, first assistant chief of the Melville Fire Department, told Newsday that Brown suffered serious injuries to his lower body.

"That's one of the most prolonged extrications of my career and we do this nearly every day," he said.