Hero Cop Recognized For Stopping Runaway Crane Truck On LIE

HAUPPAUGE, NY - A Suffolk Police officer was praised for his actions in stopping a crane truck driven by a drunk driver which crashed into four cars on the Long Island Expressway on Tuesday night.

According to police, 47-year-old Brian Sinclair, of Riverhead was driving a 2000 Liebherr crane eastbound on the LIE in Ronkonkoma when he struck a 1999 Nissan Altima, a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, a 2008 Honda Civic and a 2018 Toyota RAV4.

Sinclair then fled the scene and was spotted driving erratically near exit 60 by officer Joseph Goss, who jumped into the passenger seat and ordered Sinclair to stop, police said.

Sinclair eventually stopped the vehicle near exit 63.

Luckily, no serious injuries were reported. Goss sustained minor injuries and was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital.

The driver of the Nissan sustained minor injuries and was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital. The driver of the Jeep refused medical attention.

Both the driver of the Honda and the driver of the Toyota were transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore with minor injuries

Sinclair was arrested and charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident, police said.

"I don’t really think you need to use too much imagination to see the potential catastrophe that could have occurred had this crane not been stopped," Suffolk police Chief of Department Stuart Cameron said during a press conference.

However, 35-year-old Goss, who has been a Suffolk police officer for the past 12 years, says he was just "doing his job."

"It seemed like the right thing to do at the time," he said at the conference.

After jumping into the crane truck and convincing Sinclair to stop the truck, Sinclair apparently asked Goss: "What's up?" he said during the news conference. "At no point did he ever say another word to me," he said.

Hero Suffolk County Highway Patrol Officer Joseph Goss tell us how he stopped a speeding crane yesterday on the LIE. Goss manages to enter the crane and all the driver (allegedly intoxicated and hit several cars) says is: “What’s up?” @SCPDHq @ABC7NY #suffolkcounty pic.twitter.com/Xlyrn4NVSN

— Stacey Sager (@staceysager7) July" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/staceysage... 11, 2018

Goss was also praised for saving several other drivers from harm by "following the crane truck, activating his lights and siren and driving back and forth across the eastbound lanes to prevent other vehicles from getting close," Newsday reports.

In addition, Suffolk K-9 unit officers Mark Sacco and Robert Fanwick, were recognized for following Sinclair from the HOV lane along with another highway patrol cop, Luis Bustamante, who drove ahead of the crane truck and forced it to the right shoulder of the expressway, according to Newsday.

Sinclair pleaded not guilty to all charges and was bail was set at $5,000 cash or $15,000 bond, according to court records. He is due back in court July 20.

His attorney ,Colin Patrick Astarita, told Newsday that Sinclair was not drunk but had fallen asleep at the wheel and that there was no proof he was driving drunk since Sinclair refused a breathalyzer test.

"He worked all day," Astarita told Newsday. "It certainly has happened where people have been in and out of sleep while driving and have gotten into similar types of accidents. With a vehicle of that size, you can drive over a fence and not even know it."

Hauppauge to Medford, NY- A construction crane led Suffolk Police on a pursuit on the LIE after leaving the scene of a crash in Hauppauge. The mangle car's occupants, luckily, were not seriously injured. The chase ended near exit 63 with the arrest of the driver. pic.twitter.com/N8DXh7q7Ot

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