Eastbound lanes of the Northern State Parkway near the Wolf...

Eastbound lanes of the Northern State Parkway near the Wolf Hill Road exit Dix Hills and South Huntington were reopened midafternoon Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016, after they were closed for a one-car crash earlier. Credit: James Escher

The 22-year-old driver of a Jeep Cherokee died Saturday after the vehicle crashed into a tree on the Northern State Parkway in Suffolk, state police said.

Thomas Hardy, of East Northport, lost control of the 1997 Jeep Cherokee while eastbound on the parkway near Exit 41. He drove onto the center median, struck a guard rail, and overturned into a tree, state police said in a statement.

Hardy and the vehicle’s sole passenger, his brother Daniel Hardy, 25, were taken to Huntington Hospital. Daniel Hardy, also of East Northport, was injured in the accident, and is in stable condition, state police said.

The crash, which occurred around 1 p.m., closed all eastbound lanes in that section of the parkway Saturday afternoon. The lanes reopened around 3:30 p.m.

Dix Hills firefighters deployed heavy rescue extraction tools, known as “the Jaws of Life,” to remove the vehicle’s roof to get to the two men, Steve Silverman, Dix Hills Fire Department spokesman, said in a statement.

About 40 firefighters and rescue personnel were on the scene, he added.

State police request that anyone who saw the crash, west of the Wolf Hill Road exit, call 631-756-3300.

A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. Credit: Newsday Staff

'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. Credit: Newsday Staff

'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

SUBSCRIBE

Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 5 months

ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME