According to investigators, just before 9 a.m., the garbage truck was traveling east on Express Drive South in Hauppauge when it crashed into the bus and vehicles which were stopped at red light at the intersection of Motor Parkway.
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Investigators say the garbage truck rear-ended a Honda Accord before sideswiping a school bus and then rear-ended a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The Jeep became lodged in the front of the garbage truck and struck a Toyota Matrix, causing the Toyota to spin into a utility pole.
"I heard a little bit, like, a boom," Preet Singh, the manager of a nearby gas station, said. "It seemed like the truck didn't have any brakes. He just pushed the cars out of the way."
The driver of the Honda, 24-year-old Joseph Kelly, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The drivers of the Jeep and Toyota were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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The driver of the bus and three toddlers on the bus were not injured.
The driver of the truck, 51-year-old Jaswinder Singh, was not injured. He was issues multiple summonses.
The garbage truck was custom-made by Mack for the New York City Department of Sanitation but was still in possession of the vendor at the time of the crash.
Workers near the crash site said it's a dangerous stretch of road.
"Accidents happen here every two to three weeks, but this is one of the worst that I've ever seen," Preet Singh said.
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Anyone with more information is asked to contact Fourth Squad detectives at 631-854-8452.
MORE NEWS: 2 dead, 4 injured in multi-vehicle crash in Washington Heights
2 dead, 4 injured in multi-vehicle crash in Washington Heights
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