Oyster Bay man charged with DWI after crash on LIE in Hauppauge, police say

An Oyster Bay man was charged with driving while intoxicated after his car allegedly caused a crash that sent a tow truck driver to the hospital in critical condition.

Police said Joseph Savasta, 57, was traveling west on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 56, near Motor Parkway in Hauppauge, around 4:05 a.m. when his Mercedes-Benz struck a westbound 2020 Hino flatbed tow truck.

Police said the car flipped over and came to rest next to the median. The tow truck, police said, veered off the right side of the highway and stopped in a wooded area.

Savasta, who was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore to be treated for minor injuries, is expected to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Thursday.

The tow truck driver, Christopher Francis, 37, of Medford, was flown to Stony Brook University Hospital with critical injuries after he was ejected from his flatbed.

Traffic had been snarled since the early morning, with all lanes closed and motorists directed to the service road. All lanes on the Long Island Expressway have since been reopened.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555.