Suffolk County police officer hospitalized after LIE crash

RONKONKOMA (WABC) -- A Suffolk County police officer is hospitalized after a crash Monday morning on the Long Island Expressway.

It happened at about 4:30 a.m. on the LIE eastbound, at exit 60 in Ronkonkoma.

Highway Patrol Bureau Officer Arthur Hull was in his vehicle on construction detail and was in the process of diverting traffic off the LIE when a tractor trailer, driven by Harrideo Persaud, struck the rear of his car, approximately 100 feet west of the exit.

The police car then struck the guardrail.

Hull was trapped in his cruiser and the door had to be cut off to get him out of the vehicle.

The injured officer was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital with neck and pain.

Eastbound lanes in the area were closed while authorities investigated.

Motor Carrier Safety Section officers conducted a follow-up safety inspection on the tractor trailer, owned by HS & S Trucking Corporation of Winter Garden, Florida.