Traffic halted at LIE near Exit 53

Eastbound traffic on the Long Island Expressway was halted at midday Monday near Exit 53 at Commack Road as a helicopter landed on the roadway near Commack to evacuate a motorist injured in a one-car crash, police said.

The eastbound car hit a guardrail, then a pole, and landed in shrubbery along the service road, trapping the motorist inside, police said.

Rescue workers from several jurisdictions, including the Brentwood Fire Department, were on the scene.

The cause of the accident and the extent of the driver's injuries were not immediately known.

Some eastbound lanes were reopened at about 1:30 p.m.