3 men seriously injured after crashing into tree in Southold; Route 48 closed for hours

A driver and two passengers were seriously injured in a crash that closed all lanes of traffic on Route 48 in Southold early Sunday morning, town police said.

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said the driver of a pickup truck left the roadway east of  Kenneys Road shortly before 5:15 a.m. and struck a tree head-on. The three men sustained “significant injuries,” and were trapped inside the wreckage for about 30 minutes before a passing motorist noticed the damage, the chief said.

“Obviously some people had driven by it and didn’t even see it at that location,” Flatley said.

The chief said the crash investigation, which included assistance from a New York State Police accident reconstruction team, was trying to determine whether alcohol was involved. He said detectives were working to secure a warrant to test for blood alcohol content of the driver.

Flatley said there were no skid marks at the scene, indicating the driver had not braked before leaving the roadway.

Police have not yet named the driver, who was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, or the passengers.

County Route 48 is one of only two major thoroughfares that runs through most of the North Fork town. The road was closed for more than four hours.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.