Police are investigating a crash that has shut down the North Service Road of the LIE in Melville for more than six hours Saturday and damaged a PSEG pole, according to a Suffolk County police spokeswoman.
The crash was reported to Suffolk police just before 7:15 a.m. Details remain murky, but the police spokeswoman said it involved a dump truck crashing between the North Service Road’s intersections with Bagatelle Road and Burrs Lane.
Police closed the roughly 1,400-foot stretch of road, as well as the nearby Exit 50 offramp, to conduct an accident investigation. It’s unclear whether anyone was hurt, but the police spokeswoman said such investigations typically happened when there was a serious injury.
The spokeswoman confirmed that a police helicopter was called to the scene, but could not say whether it was there to airlift anyone who may have been hurt.
The roadway remained closed as of about 1:30 p.m.
A PSEG pole also was cracked during the crash, the police spokeswoman said. Suffolk police notified PSEG of the damage to the pole.
The crash affected electricity service for about 75 customers, for whom power was restored at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, a PSEG spokesperson told Newsday via email.
“The personnel are working safely and as quickly as possible to restore these customers and repair damaged equipment, which includes a broken pole,” PSEG said in the email.
It was unclear whether any other vehicles were involved, what may have caused the crash or whether the PSEG pole damage will impact any customers.
Check back for updates on this story.
Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.