Nassau police: Man killed, woman and son hurt in 2-vehicle crash

A man was killed and a woman and her teenage son were injured after their vehicles collided Monday morning on Jerusalem Avenue in North Merrick, police said.

Nassau County police did not immediately release the identities of those injured in the crash. The identity of the deceased driver was withheld pending notification of next of kin, police said.

The crash occurred at 7:23 a.m. near the intersection of Jerusalem Avenue and North Jerusalem Road, just east of the Meadowbrook State Parkway, police said.

According to police, the man, 51, was driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla in the left eastbound lane on Jerusalem Avenue when “he swerved into the right lane,” colliding with an eastbound 2009 Jeep Liberty. Both vehicles then crashed into a utility pole on the south side of the roadway, police said.

Photos from the scene show the Toyota smashed against the utility pole, its driver side heavily impacted, with the Jeep smashed into the Toyota’s passenger side. Police said the Toyota driver was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and was pronounced dead at 7:58 a.m.

The woman, 40, who was driving the Jeep, and her 14-year-old son, who was a passenger, also were taken to a hospital with what police described as “non-life-threatening injuries.”

Eastbound Jerusalem Avenue was closed for several hours after the crash for the investigation, according to police. No one was charged in the crash, police said, and the investigation is continuing.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”