Westbound lanes of LIE reopen in Dix Hills

Westbound traffic on the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills was restored to normal Thursday afternoon after an overturned truck caused delays for nearly three hours, authorities said.

Two westbound lanes were closed to traffic for about two hours after a box truck and a car crashed between Exits 51, Deer Park Avenue, and 53, the Sagtikos Parkway, at about 10:35 a.m., according to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.

Cameras at informny.com showed traffic backed up, beginning at Exit 51, Deer Park Avenue, through Exit 53, the Sagtikos Parkway.

Shortly after noon, traffic was open to the center and left lanes, according to a sheriff's spokeswoman.

Normal traffic resumed in all three lanes at 1:18 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation website.

The sheriff's spokeswoman said the accident happened when a woman driving a Honda lost control and hit a guardrail and the median before smashing into the truck.

There were minor injuries and both the driver of the Honda and the truck were taken to Huntington Hospital, the spokeswoman said.

"The driver of the truck said he was not hurt but was taken to the hospital and treated for shock," she said.

No charges were filed, the spokeswoman said.

The truck was carrying a few grill-size propane tanks that subsequently littered the roadway, she said.

The tanks were not leaking and were not expected to be a safety issue, she said.