Driver Hurt After SUV Flips Onto Side, Rolls Across Long Island Expressway Service Road
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A car flipped on its side and rolled across a service road after the vehicle lost control on the Long Island Expressway during the morning rush hour Thursday.
As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, the latest crash – which left a teenage driver injured – came days after a deadly crash on the Long Island Expressway just this past weekend. Safety questions have intensified following the latest incident, and some are questioning whether speeding is out of control.
The sport-utility vehicle was heading east on the expressway near exit 56 when it careened through a fence, went on its side across two lanes of the service road, and broke another fence before rolling down a steep embankment.
The SUV ended up in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, where it crashed into a parked car that belonged to the hotel manager.
Surveillance cameras were rolling and showed the out-of-control vehicle. Police said the 18-year-old driver failed to negotiate a lane change.
The scene was littered with luggage and school books from the SUV.
It was not the first time a vehicle veered off the expressway in such a fashion.
"It has happened once before, we saw it come over the edge, and the same thing -- it just flipped on its side on the parking lot," said contractor Dan Storey.
This latest incident came just four days after tragedy about 10 exits away on the LIE. Six lives were lost in that accident in Manorville, due to what witnesses said was excessive speed while a driver changed lanes.
The speed limit on the LIE is 55 mph, but drivers admit the speed limit is widely ignored and going with the flow of traffic is the norm.
"Me personally, I do 65, 70 in this car -- I don't really feel it," one driver said.
"Nobody obeys the 55 at all, honestly," another said.
"You are the one going 55, the correct speed, and I get the finger for it. I get harassed for going the correct speed limit," a third driver said. "People don't want to wait. They're very aggressive."
"Some yo-hoos are driving really dangerous speeds – it's impossible to tell, but 85, 90," a fourth said.
According to AAA, nearly half of all drivers admit they speed regularly. More than a quarter of all drivers speed without thinking – which is especially dangerous when mixed with distracted driving.
"Unfortunately, it seems like the culture around the country that speed limits are viewed as minimum speeds," said AAA Northeast spokesman Robert Sinclair. "Just about everyone says that thy drive -- regularly drive -- 15 miles over the limit or more."
The male driver was airlifted to an area hospital. Officials said he was not seriously injured.
The cause of the crash was under investigation late Thursday.