The driver was killed and a passenger injured when a garbage truck overturned off Sunrise Highway Thursday. Credit: Paul Mazza

The driver of a garbage truck was killed and his passenger injured in a fiery crash in East Islip on Thursday, Suffolk police said.

The driver, Xavier Angulo Espinoza, 45, of Central Islip, was pronounced dead at the scene, Suffolk County police said in a news release on Thursday.

Espinoza was driving the garbage truck east on Sunrise Highway Service Road around 11:48 a.m. when he lost control and the truck overturned, east of the Southern State Parkway, police said.

The passenger was transported to a hospital for treatment. Police did not immediately provide information regarding the passenger's injuries or condition.

Apparent video shot by a passerby showed the truck fully engulfed by flames and heavy smoke. 

The crash temporarily closed the service road, which reopened on Thursday afternoon, police said.

Third Squad detectives are continuing their investigation, a department spokesperson said.

Every 7 minutes on average a traffic crash causing death, injury or significant property damage happens on Long Island. A Newsday investigation found that traffic crashes killed more than 2,100 people between 2014 and 2023 and seriously injured more than 16,000 people. To search for fatal crashes in your area, click here.

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