Medford man seriously injured in LIE crash near Hauppauge, police say

A Medford man was seriously injured on Monday morning when his car overturned and he was ejected after swerving to avoid hitting a vehicle that had reduced its speed due to construction on the westbound Long Island Expressway near Hauppauge, Suffolk County police said.

The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 10:20 a.m. and closed the roadway between Exit 57, Veterans Memorial Highway in Islandia, and Exit 56, Route 111, in Hauppauge, until 1:05 p.m.

The man, identified by police as Jesse Kowalewski, 38, was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries, police said.

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.”