Driver running from crash struck on LIE

A driver who fled after crashing into a street pole in Hauppauge was struck by a car when he ran across the nearby Long Island Expressway, Suffolk police said Wednesday.

In his Honda, Cesar Mendez, 32, of Brentwood, hit a pole on Route 111, south of the LIE, at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, police said. He ran across the eastbound lanes of the expressway, where he was hit by a Nissan just west of Exit 57, which leads to Motor Parkway, police said.

Mendez was taken with a serious head injury to Stony Brook University Hospital, police said. His condition Wednesday night was not known because hospital officials could not be reached immediately.

Police issued Mendez two summonses, one for leaving the scene of an accident and one for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

The Nissan driver, Amanda Orbe, 25, of Bethpage, and her passenger, Johanna Orbe, 23, were not injured, police said.

The Nissan was impounded for a safety check and Fourth Precinct detectives continue the investigation.