A trucker driving erratically on the Sunrise Highway on Long Island flipped over a guardrail and crashed into at least two parked cars off the highway Friday night, sparking a huge fire that killed him, police and witnesses say.
The crash off Sunrise Highway at Seaford Avenue in Wantagh at about 7:30 p.m. closed westbound lanes between Oakland and Seaford avenues for hours.
Witnesses say they saw a box truck driver weaving in and out of traffic with his hazard lights on.
Christine Walz told NBC 4 New York she was driving on the highway when she saw the truck driver swerving between cars.
"All of a sudden as we were going, he was a half-mile away from us, and all of a sudden a big cloud of smoke, it was unbelievable," she said.
Passenger Debbie Dorney recounted: "He thought he was a race car driver, driving crazy, up everyone's rear, beeping. We just turned around and said, 'Oh, my God, he's going to kill somebody.' And then all of a sudden, boom, it was a big burst of flames.
Bystander Allie Krill said she heard two explosions when the truck crashed. She said she tried to get to the truck after the first explosion and heard the driver scream, "Help me, help me," but it was too dangerous.
"We couldn't get to him, it was too hot. And when the [second] explosion went on, it was too late," she said, shaken.
Dorney said it was a "pure miracle" no one else but the driver was hurt in the crash because the road was packed.
The driver has not been identified.
===================Friday, January 13, 2017 11:26PM
WANTAGH, Long Island (WABC) -- A car and box truck crashed in Wantagh on Friday night killing the driver of the truck.
It happened on Sunrise Highway and Seaford Avenue just before 8 p.m.
After the initial crash the box truck lost control and crashed into several parked cars at the LIRR Wantagh station, resulting in the truck catching fire.
Witnesses said they heard multiple explosions.
It took more than 150 firefighters more than two hours to put the fire out.
Train service was not affected.
Nassau County Police are investigating the cause of the crash.