Sunrise Highway westbound reopens after crash cleared

A crash between a motorcycle and sport utility vehicle closed a section of westbound Sunrise Highway in Islip Sunday afternoon for nearly five hours, Suffolk police said.

The crash occurred shortly after 4 p.m. at Exit 46 near State Road 111, police said. That part of Sunrise Highway was closed until about 9 p.m., police said.

The motorcyclist was taken to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, police said.

Witness Peter Morales said he was driving along Sunrise Highway from Southold to his home in Bay Shore when he saw the motorcyclist whiz by.

"The motorcyclist flew right by us," said Morales, 32, who was driving with his wife in the passenger seat. "Suddenly, we just saw smoke and dust in the air. We knew right away it was the motorcyclist."

The couple pulled over and called 911. Morales said the motorcyclist apparently impacted with a Honda Pilot SUV, which struck the middle barrier, he said. A man and woman in the Honda told Morales they were uninjured, he said. Morales said he tried to assist the motorcyclist, a man who was wearing a helmet.

"The bike was destroyed," Morales said. "I went up to him, I started talking to him. . . . He wasn't talking, but he was breathing."

Morales said he and other witnesses stayed with the motorcyclist until first responders arrived.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.