Two people were killed and several others were injured late Monday night after a coach bus crossed the median on the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth, triggering a multi-vehicle crash, according to the NYPD.
Police said the collision occurred at about 11:43 p.m. June 29 near the interchange of the Long Island Expressway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway within the confines of the 108th Precinct.
According to the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, a 2019 Freightliner S2 luxury mini coach bus was traveling westbound in the left lane of the Long Island Expressway when it veered into the middle lane and struck a 2020 Honda Accord driven by a 22-year-old woman.
The impact pushed the Honda into the right lane, where it collided with a 2008 Honda Pilot driven by a 48-year-old man, police said.
Investigators said the bus then swerved back into the left lane, crossed the center divider and overturned onto its passenger side after entering the eastbound lanes. As it crossed the median, the bus struck a 2023 Toyota Highlander head-on. A 2020 GMC Yukon traveling behind the Highlander then rear-ended the SUV.
The 35-year-old bus driver and a rear-seat passenger were pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.
Police identified the passenger as Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, of Manhattan.
The identity of the bus driver has not been released pending notification of family members.
The drivers of the Honda Accord, Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander were taken to area hospitals in stable condition, police said. The driver of the GMC Yukon, a 26-year-old man, was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
All remaining passengers aboard the coach bus were also taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad.
The New York City Department of Transportation said it will separately review the roadway design at the crash location as part of its standard procedure following fatal collisions.
