Attending to Islip Terrace crash, 2 good Samaritans injured, 1 critically

Two good Samaritans were injured Wednesday, one critically, when a driver struck their vehicles after they stopped to assist motorists involved in an Islip Terrace crash, Suffolk police said.

Shortly after 8 a.m., a 2010 Ford and a 2015 Chevrolet collided on the westbound service road of Sunrise Highway, east of Wilson Boulevard in Islip Terrace, according to a Suffolk County Police Department news release. Five minutes later, two men — EMT Michael Merkle, 44, of Deer Park, and Brendan Lahti, 33, of Massapequa — stopped to assist the motorists.

After both men exited their respective Dodge Rams, a third Dodge Ram crashed into the back of Lahti's truck, which subsequently slammed into Merkle's. The two good Samaritans were hit by one of the pickups and injured. Detectives are investigating to "determine which vehicle struck the two," police said.

Merkle was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition, police said. Lahti suffered injuries not considered life-threatening and was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore.

The driver of the Chevrolet sustained minor injuries, police said. The occupants of the Ford and the third Dodge Ram were not injured.

After the crashes, the three pickups were all facing different directions, while the hood of one of the vehicles involved in the initial wreck was smashed, according to a Newsday photographer's images from the scene.

Detectives asked anyone with information regarding the crashes to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6553.