A driver died and another was seriously injured early Sunday when two vehicles collided head-on in the westbound lanes of the Northern State Parkway near Exit 25 in the Village of Lake Success. Troopers responded to the crash around 5 a.m., and scene photographs showed a damaged white pickup truck facing the wrong direction within the westbound lanes. State police closed all westbound traffic near Exit 25 for hours as investigators worked the scene.
The closure stretched until approximately 10:15 a.m., forcing morning commuters into extended diversions near Lakeville Road, according to Newsday. The crash involved a 2023 Ford Maverick and a 2007 Ford Escape, per the New York Connect Team's report for Lohud. New York State Police said the driver of the Ford Maverick died at the scene from their injuries, while the driver of the Ford Escape was taken to a local hospital with serious physical injuries.
Investigation Still Open, Troopers Say
State police said one person was killed and another seriously injured in the head-on crash, but the agency has not released the identities of either driver. Investigators have not said which vehicle was traveling against traffic, and no cause — whether toxicology, a medical emergency, or poor visibility — has been determined. New York State Police said the investigation remains ongoing, and the agency is asking any witnesses or people with additional information to contact troopers at 631-756-3300.
The crash falls under the jurisdiction of New York State Police Troop L, which is headquartered in East Farmingdale and holds primary law enforcement and crash investigation authority over state parkways across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Troop L was formed in 1980 after absorbing the former Long Island State Parkway Police, according to background compiled by the New York State Police.
A Notorious Stretch of Roadway
The interchange near Exit 25 has drawn scrutiny before. Legal analysts at Jaghab & Jaghab, P.C. have noted that the intersection of New Hyde Park Road and the Northern State Parkway features adjacent entrance and exit ramps that require left-turning drivers to cross oncoming traffic — a layout that can confuse disoriented motorists. The parkway itself was built in the 1920s and 1930s exclusively for non-commercial passenger cars weighing 5,500 pounds or less, a design limitation that still shapes how the roadway handles modern traffic, according to historical background from NYCRoads.
New York's Department of Transportation completed a regional safety push in late 2023 that installed oversized warning signs, post reflectors, and high-visibility pavement markings at 700 Long Island locations, including ramps on the Northern State Parkway, specifically to curb wrong-way driving. Reporting from Transport Topics described the signs as oversized and noted signpost reflectors.
What Comes Next for Surviving Drivers
Driving against the flow of traffic on a limited-access parkway is a key fact in wrong-way crash cases. Any consequences for a surviving driver would be separate from the state police criminal investigation.
Nassau County recorded motor vehicle collisions in 2024, including fatal and serious-injury crashes. Nationally, fatal wrong-way crashes on divided highways rose from 278 in 2014 to 520 in 2023, according to Newsday.
The crash adds to discussion of head-on and wrong-way incidents on Long Island roadways this year. The linked Hoodline homepage does not document the additional incidents described above. Troopers have not said whether Sunday's crash bears any connection to other incidents.
