Cops: Driver plows through LIE guide rails

A Suffolk County employee lost control of the official car he was driving Friday on the Long Island Expressway in Medford and plowed through the new guide rails designed to help prevent cars from crossing the grassy median, police said.

Michael Sharkey, chief of staff for Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, said the unidentified man was driving westbound in the left lane around Exit 65 when he veered onto the grassy median, through the wire strips of the guide rail, across three eastbound lanes and crashed into a pillar of the underpass at Horseblock Road.

"He did not impact any other vehicles," Sharkey said of the 1:30 p.m. accident. "He sustained injuries that do not appear to be serious."

It was unclear which county agency the man worked for, but he was driving a county vehicle, Sharkey said, adding that the man said he simply lost control of the car.

No criminality is suspected and the crash is not being investigated further, Sharkey said.

He said the incident may be the fifth time a motorist has crossed the median despite the guide rails, which officials began installing this year between exits 64 and 70. The devices are designed to deflect vehicles that cross the median.

"It's disappointing," Sharkey said of the trend. "The jury is still out as to how effective this is."

Because of such incidents, Sharkey said his office will start keeping count every time a vehicle hits the guide rails, which also have been installed between exits 53 and 59 on Sunrise Highway.

The guide rails, which are composed of four cables that pass through 30-inch posts that dot the highway, cost $4.8 million to install.

Officials had hailed them as good alternatives to concrete or metal barriers because they do less damage to vehicles but can still absorb the impact. In tests, the guide rails are able to stop a tractor trailer moving at 55 mph up to 12 feet after impact.