Police: Man killed when he walks into path of truck on LIE near Melville
The eastbound lanes of the Long Island Expressway, were closed Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in the Melville area near Exit 49, Suffolk County police said, after what appeared to be an accident. Credit: Steve Pfost
Suffolk police are investigating the death of a male pedestrian who was struck Sunday by a truck on the Long Island Expressway near Melville.
After the unidentified man was hit about 2 p.m., authorities closed all eastbound lanes of the LIE for about three hours near Exit 49, causing massive backups as vehicles approached Melville.
Police said Humberto Maldonado, 49, of Brentwood was driving a 2014 Isuzu box truck east in the far-right lane of the expressway when "he struck a man that entered his lane of travel," just east of Exit 49, Route 110 in Melville.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Suffolk County medical examiner's office, police said.
Authorities have not released the man's name as of Sunday night, pending the notification of his next of kin. A Suffolk police spokeswoman said due to the ongoing investigation, she could not comment on why the man walked onto the roadway.
Maldonado, the driver, was not injured, but his truck was impounded for a safety check, police said. Police officials said no charges have been filed against Maldonado, and no criminality appears to be involved. Police vehicles and orange cones had blocked access to the expressway. For several hours, until about 6 Sunday night, the highway was closed to all eastbound traffic and vehicles were diverted to the south service road on the LIE at Exit 49, Suffolk police said.
With Scott Eidler and Deon J. Hampton
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
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