Newsday truck hits Bellmore post office

The driver of a Newsday delivery truck was injured in... — The driver of a Newsday delivery truck was injured in a single-vehicle accident just after 1 a.m. on Merrick Road in Bellmore. It was reported that the driver was reaching for a bundle of papers that was falling from the truck and fell out of the truck onto Merrick Road. The truck went off the road and crashed into the Bellmore Post Office at Merrick Road and Centre Avenue. The collision did substantial damage to both the truck and building. (Sept. 27, 2011) Credit: Photo by Paul Mazza

By JOHN VALENTIjohn.valenti@newsday.comSeptember 27, 2011

A Newsday delivery truck hit a post office building in Bellmore early Tuesday after the driver fell out of the vehicle while trying to retrieve a bundle of papers, police said.

The 54-year-old driver, who was not immediately identified, was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow with minor injuries, police said.

Officials said the post office was damaged and was closed for several hours Tuesday while Nassau fire marshals and Town of Hempstead code enforcement officers tried to determine if the building was structurally safe. It was later reopened.

The driver was headed east on Merrick Road about 1:10 a.m. when he hit a bump in the road and a bundle of papers started to bounce out of the truck, police said. The driver reached for the papers and both he and the bundle fell out the open door.

The driverless truck then struck the building, which is at the corner of Centre Avenue. No charges were filed.

Volunteers from the Bellmore and North Bellmore fire departments responded.

Streaming Now