Darla Miles has the latest on a crash on the LIE in Queens that left 3 people dead.
Eyewitness News
Updated 1 hr 8 mins ago
MASPETH, Queens (WABC) -- Three people were killed and 11 injured Wednesday when an apparent high-speed, two-car crash triggered another collision of four more vehicles on the Long Island Expressway in Queens.
The three were apparently thrown from a 2010 Infiniti into the lanes of traffic on the eastbound lower level, near the Maurice Avenue exit in Maspeth, in the initial two-car crash just before 4:30 a.m.
Police say the car hit a highway divider, split in half and then struck another car.
At least four more vehicles then collided in a secondary accident.
Dray Clark was live at the scene:
The victims have been identified as 25-year-old Michael Fabre of Oakland Gardens, who was the driver of the Infiniti, and two passengers, 24-year-old Giovanny Sanchez of Brentwood and 24-year-old Christina Formato of Franklin Square.
Eleven people were injured and are expected to survive. They were rushed to Elmhurst Hospital and Queens Hospital Center in stable condition.
The victims were in a yellow taxi cab, a grey SUV, a black sedan and a silver car. A large yellow dump truck was also involved in the second crash.
Just as drivers were stopping to help the victims, the dump truck approached and couldn't stop.
"The dump truck came so fast, he just ran into everybody," said witness Carlos Roche. "Traffic basically was stopped, but he couldn't stop and he ran into every car."
Speed is being investigated as a possible cause of the initial two-car collision.
All Queens-bound lanes of the Long Island Expressway lower level near Maurice Avenue reopened by 9 a.m.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
On Aug. 21, another crash on the expressway, near Manorville, Long Island, claimed six lives.