Woman critically injured after ice causes SUV to skid into car in North Merrick, police say

Jerusalem Avenue in North Merrick has reopened following a rush-hour car crash that left a 59-year-old woman hospitalized in critical condition Monday morning, Nassau County police said.

Police said the woman was driving a 2004 Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle west on Jerusalem Avenue when she hit a patch of ice around 8:58 a.m. and skidded into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lane near the intersection of Canton Drive.

The Expedition collided with a 2022 Tesla driven by a 42-year-old man, and the woman was ejected from her vehicle, police said. Both drivers were transported to a hospital, where the woman was listed in critical condition. The investigation was ongoing, and police had no updates on the woman's condition late Monday evening.

For several hours on Monday, police had closed Jerusalem Avenue between Newbridge Road and Roydon Drive East for the crash investigation, but the road was open by late Monday evening, police said.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”