Exchange student injured in moped crash

A European exchange student learning to ride a moped crashed the bike into a tree in Huntington yesterday and is hospitalized in serious condition, Suffolk police said.

Detectives are trying to figure out why Sophie Maxey, 20, of the United Kingdom, lost control of the moped about 2:50 p.m. She'd been riding southwest on Windmill Lane when she struck the tree.

"She was learning how to ride it. She was not experienced," said Det. Sgt. Richard Auspaker of Suffolk's Huntington-based Second Squad detectives, who are investigating the accident.

Maxey suffered head injuries and was in serious condition at Huntington Hospital yesterday, police said.

Maxey, who was attending Dartmouth College, was on Long Island staying with her boyfriend, whose father owns the moped, Auspaker said. The boyfriend is trying to reach Maxey's family in the United Kingdom, he said.

Auspaker asked anyone with information about the crash to call detectives at 631-854-8252.