Overview
- A westbound coach bus near the Greenpoint Avenue exit in Maspeth hit two vehicles, struck the center divider, overturned into oncoming lanes and struck two more vehicles.
- Two people — the bus driver and a passenger — were pronounced dead and about two dozen bus passengers were taken to Bellevue, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and Elmhurst Hospital Center for evaluation.
- One driver from the eastbound lanes was hospitalized in critical condition and three other drivers were reported in stable condition.
- The Long Island Expressway was closed in both directions between the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Maurice Avenue for hours while emergency crews cleared wreckage and investigators processed the scene.
- First responders mounted a large-scale rescue operation with firefighters and EMS on scene and motorists were left stranded for hours as police directed traffic and cleared the crash site.