Cops: Trucker blames overpass crash on GPS

A truck driver who smashed his rig into an overpass on the Northern State Parkway in Syosset on Tuesday blamed his global positioning system for the accident, police said.

The driver, identified by State Police as Bruce Hasty, 45, of Newark, N.J., said the GPS guided him off the Long Island Expressway onto the eastbound Northern State Parkway at about 7:05 a.m. Trucks are not allowed on the parkway because of low overpasses.

The top of the tractor trailer was sheered off when the truck struck the overpass for Exit 36S, South Oyster Bay Road, State Police said. The eastbound parkway was closed for more than seven hours while police cleared the mangled truck.

The eastbound lanes reopened at 2:30 p.m.

Hasty, traveling from New Jersey to Commack, was hauling home improvement supplies for a New Jersey company, Q5 Logistics, State Police said. Hasty faces several traffic and transportation law violations, police said.

There were no injuries.

The truck was towed from the scene. The bridge, which was inspected by the state Department of Transportation, was not damaged, police said.

The ramp from the expressway to the parkway near the accident site is marked with warnings that read: "No Trucks on Parkway."

Despite such signs, there are about 10 to 15 incidents each month involving trucks on Long Island parkways, officials said.