1 killed, 1 seriously hurt in wrong-way crash on Northern State Parkway

New York State Police investigate at the scene of a... — New York State Police investigate at the scene of a fatal, wrong-way crash on the Northern State Parkway Sunday. Credit: Newsday/James Carbone

By Joseph Ostapiukjoseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com @OstapiukJUpdated September 6, 2026 8:12 pm

One person was killed and another seriously injured in a wrong-way crash on the Northern State Parkway Sunday morning that closed the westbound roadway for hours.

New York State Police said a 2007 Ford Escape collided with a 2023 Ford Maverick head-on in the westbound lanes of the parkway in Nassau County near Lakeville Road, shortly after 5 a.m.

The driver of the Ford Maverick was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the Ford Escape was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, police said.

The identity of the deceased was not immediately available.

Police closed all of the westbound lanes of the parkway following the crash.

Photos from the scene taken just west of the Lakeville Road exit showed a damaged white truck facing the wrong direction of the roadway. The other vehicle sustained serious damage.

Workers cleared debris from the lanes of the parkway after the vehicles were removed from the scene.

The roadway was reopened around 10:15 a.m.

The specifics of how the head-on crash occurred were not immediately available. Police said the investigation was ongoing.

Wrong-way crashes are relatively rare, but have been steadily increasing nationwide, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The number of fatal wrong-way crashes on divided highways nearly doubled, from 278 in 2014 to 520 in 2023, across the United States.

Newsday's Peter Gill contributed to this report.

More coverage: Every 7 minutes on average a traffic crash causing death, injury or significant property damage happens on Long Island. A Newsday investigation found that traffic crashes killed more than 2,100 people between 2014 and 2023 and seriously injured more than 16,000 people. To search for fatal crashes in your area, click here.