Gracia Destra, of Ronkonkoma, killed, 4 injured in multi-vehicle crash on LIE, police say
Traffic was detoured off of the eastbound Long Island Expressway following a multi-car crash near Exit 46 on Saturday morning. Credit: Newsday/Kendall Rodriguez
A multi-vehicle crash Saturday morning on the Long Island Expressway in Plainview left a 55-year-old man dead and four others injured, Nassau County police and Plainview Fire Department officials said.
An initial collision between two vehicles caused a chain reaction involving five vehicles in total, police said. The first collision involved a 2002 Mazda pickup truck traveling east that was struck by a 2006 Honda Pilot.
The Pilot stopped in the HOV lane and the Mazda in the left lane.
A 2017 RAV4 then struck the Mazda, which crashed into the driver of the Mazda, Gracia Destra, 55, of Ronkonkoma, after he had stepped out of the vehicle, police said.
Separately, a 2011 Subaru Outback swerved from the left lane into the HOV lane to avoid the vehicles and was then struck by a 2015 Chevy Suburban, police said.
Destra was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead, police said.
A 69-year-old man driving the Suburban was transported to a hospital with chest pains, police said. One other driver was transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Andrew Cohen, a deputy chief for the Plainview Fire Department, said the department's ambulance crews transported two children in stable condition to Cohen Children's Medical Center. The children, whose ages weren't released, were in the Suburban.
The eastbound lanes of the expressway were closed during the police investigation for more than five hours. All eastbound lanes had reopened by the afternoon.
Cohen said firefighters stabilized the vehicles, contained any fluid spills and made sure there were no fires.
The crash caused additional delays throughout the morning on the Northern State Parkway.
An investigation remains ongoing, police said.
More coverage: Long Island traffic crashes claimed 243 lives in 2022, 29% more than in 2019, Newsday has reported. The level was the highest since 2015, as dangerous driving increased post-COVID-19 and police traffic enforcement dropped, according to a Newsday analysis of crash and ticketing data and traffic experts.
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
'It's disappointing and it's unfortunate' Suffolk Police Officer David Mascarella is back on the job after causing a 2020 crash that severely injured Riordan Cavooris, then 2. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger and Newsday investigative reporter Paul LaRocco have the story.
'It's disappointing and it's unfortunate' Suffolk Police Officer David Mascarella is back on the job after causing a 2020 crash that severely injured Riordan Cavooris, then 2. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger and Newsday investigative reporter Paul LaRocco have the story.
