At least two people are dead and more than a dozen others are injured after a coach bus crashed and overturned on the Long Island Expressway overnight, in a wreck that shut one of New York's busiest highways in both directions. The crash unfolded just before midnight and left the bus lodged on its side, triggering a response from emergency crews and a traffic nightmare that stretched on for hours. Officials say they are still watching the situation closely as the morning unfolds.
According to authorities, the crash happened at around 11:45 p.m. as the bus traveled westbound on the expressway. The bus struck the median divider and overturned into oncoming traffic, hitting vehicles in the eastbound lanes before coming to rest on its side. The scale of the wreck was immediately apparent, with debris and damaged vehicles scattered across the roadway, making it difficult for crews to reach the area quickly.
The two people confirmed dead are the driver of the bus and one of the passengers. Among the injured, a driver who was behind the wheel of one of the vehicles caught up in the crash is in critical condition, while three other drivers are described as being in stable condition. Several of the passengers who had been aboard the bus were taken to local hospitals to be checked out following the collision.
The crash forced the closure of the Long Island Expressway in both directions between the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Morris Avenue. Police were on the scene completely blocking the roadway, and drivers were being diverted off the expressway near Morris Avenue. With the highway shut, motorists were urged to seek alternate routes, including the Northern State Parkway and the Grand Central Parkway for non-commercial vehicles.
For many drivers, the closure meant being stranded for hours in the middle of the night. Some of those caught in the gridlock could be seen out of their vehicles, walking around as they waited, unsure of how or when they would be able to get moving again. The backups remained severe into the morning, with no clear sense of when the expressway would reopen.
The cause of the crash had not been established as of the latest reports, and officials gave no estimate for when the scene would be fully cleared. By daybreak, crews were still working to clear the wreckage, with the eastbound lanes near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway still shut while the westbound side had reopened but crawled with heavy delays, around 23 minutes to cover four miles. A news helicopter over the scene in Maspeth, Queens, showed the overturned bus still in place as the cleanup and the inquiry continued.