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Mar 15, 2006 1:30 pm US/Eastern
Lucky Driver Survives LIE Bus-Truck-Car Crash
Westbound Expressway Closed During Morning Rush At Exit 39
OLD WESTBURY (CBS) ―
A driver on the Long Island Expressway lives to tell an amazing story. A truck hauling municipal waste lost control this morning and crushed the man's car between the median wall and a passenger bus.
"It's his luckiest day, his luckiest day," said Nassau County Police Sargeant Richard Conlon, who was one of the first on the scene.
The westbound Long Island Expressway was closed at Exit 39 (Glen Cove Road) during the morning rush hour today after a serious crash in Nassau County. Nine people were injured in the crash and taken to area hospitals.
From beneath the twisted metal and mangled mess of what used to be an Audi TT, the driver of the car, which lay crushed between a tractor-trailer and a Classic Coach bus, wasn't seriously hurt.
"He was conscious and answering all of our questions. He knew who he was. He was coherent. He knew his name. He knew what today was, so that was a good feeling," Conlon said.
The accident happened just before 9 o'clock this morning in the westbound lanes of the Long Island Expressway. Police are still piecing together details of what happened, but the driver of the 18-wheeler through an interpreter said he was in the middle lane when he saw brake lights.
"He slowed down, but as soon as he put the brakes on the truck just went to the left. The steering wheel -- he couldn't control it -- did not respond to go to the right," the interpreter said.
With the steering wheel locked, the truck veered left, catching the car and dragging it until they came to a rest against the barrier. A passenger bus also got tangled in the mess. The bus was carrying parents of Suffolk County students en route to a performance at NYU in Manhattan.
Five people on the bus were treated for minor injuries. The driver of the truck hurt his thumb, but relief came when he saw the driver of the Audi conscious and moving.
"He was relieved when the guy survived," the interpreter said.
The driver of the car was evacuated by medivac helicopter to Nassau University Medical Center, where he was listed in "satisfactory" condition.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
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