Car Smashes Into Nassau County Store After Violent Collision
JERICHO, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A wild accident shut down the Jericho Turnpike on Long Island Wednesday afternoon.
Nassau County police say two vehicles collided and went airborne, with one of them smashing into a busy store.
Workers swept up giant shards of glass outside the Verizon store in Jericho as dazed employees stood by, stunned by the wild noon-time accident.
The two vehicles were heading southbound when they collided on North Broadway, police say. Tire tracks in the snow-packed median show how one of the vehicles then veered left across three lanes of oncoming traffic before going airborne, smashing right through the Verizon store's front window and crushing several counters inside.
Incredibly, no workers or customers were hurt. The driver had to be taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. Meanwhile, the second vehicle lay smashed and wrapped up in a fence bordering a building under construction across the street.
That driver's husband raced to the crash scene afterward and says his wife is lucky to be alive.
"When I got here, I saw the ambulances were here and I realized it was pretty major," Jeff Seiver of Syosset said. "She's okay, bumped up with some bruises."
As TV 10/55's Richard Rose reports, workers struggled to haul the vehicle away since it had become so tangled with the fence it barrelled over.
Officers were investigating whether one of the drivers may have accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes. Local residents say they're not surprised, describing the roadway as a speedway that you take you life into your hands navigating.
"Non-stop traffic, and there are multiple lanes that even turn into a parking lot on the other side, and everyone is just cutting you off," Peter Tucci of Levittown said.
The Verizon store is expected to remain closed at least through tomorrow. Police say they are treating it as an accident in the icy conditions and the drivers will not face charges.
