Driver unhurt, describes 'blessing' after tractor-trailer flips on exit ramp of LIE in Jericho

A tractor-trailer flipped on the Long Island Expressway Sunday morning, triggering a shutdown of an off-ramp near Jericho, according to a Nassau police spokesman.

The crash happened shortly before 9 a.m. near Exit 41S. in the westbound lane of the southbound exit ramp.

In an interview with Newsday, the driver said he had a split-second decision to make.

Ruben Pitts, of Philadelphia, said he was hauling bananas and that he was cut off before flipping. 

"The box truck, right here off this exit, just jumped in front of me. And I had no choice — either get into a crazy accident, or do a soft landing over here," he told Newsday, pointing toward the grass beside the road. 

Instead of "making it worse than what it is, let me just fall right here on my side. So, that’s what happened," he added.

Pitts told Newsday he was uninjured. 

"God is good, man. It’s crazy ... I’m just grateful I ain’t got no scratches, bruises — nothing," he said. "I landed perfectly in the grass. It was just a blessing.”

The tractor-trailer was subsequently righted.

The off-ramp was the only segment of the LIE shut down as a result of the crash, according to the police spokesman.

All lanes in the area were open with stop-and-go traffic into the afternoon, according to 511NY.