Motorcycle Strikes Police Van Attempting U-Turn on Long Island Expressway

UPDATED at 6:30 p.m.:

A motorcyclist suffered a serious head injury after a motorcycle struck a police van Wednesday afternoon on the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills, police say.

According to authorities, a marked Suffolk County Police Motor Carrier Safety vehicle was attempting to make a U-turn at an area designated for emergency vehicles when the motorcycle struck the rear of the police van at 1:25 p.m. in Dix Hills, about 500 feet east of Exit 51, police say.

The motorcyclist was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital to be treated for serious injuries. The police officer in the van was also taken to Huntington Hospital by Dix Hills Rescue Squad ambulance for non-life threatening injuries.

All westbound lanes of the Long Island Expressway at Exit 52 are closed due to the crash.

The Dix Hills Fire Department responded to the scene with two ambulances, three heavy rescue trucks, paramedic and first responder units. Dix Hills Rescue Squad Emergency Medical Technicians assisted the motorcyclist and police officer.

• Above photos courtesy of Dix Hills FD

The names of those involved in the crash are being withheld until notification of family members, police say.

Motorists are advised to expect delays or take alternate routes.

More details will be available as they come in.

Images via Bryan Lopez