NYS DOT Plow Truck Overturns on Westbound Sunrise Highway in Brentwood

A New York State Department of Transportation plow truck carrying salt struck a guardrail and overturned on westbound Sunrise Highway near the Brentwood on-ramp, about 200 feet east of Exit 44, at roughly 8:14-8:15 p.m. Sunday, Suffolk County police said. Police records list the time as 8:14 p.m., while on-scene accounts place the crash about 200 feet east of Exit 44 at around 8:15 p.m.

Responders found the male driver initially trapped inside the overturned vehicle but uninjured, Suffolk County police and Bay Shore emergency crews reported. Photographs taken at the scene show the underside of the NYS DOT snowplow visible in heavy falling snow, and the Bay Shore Fire Department said the truck remained stuck as crews worked at 10:45 p.m.

Multiple agencies converged on the scene. Bay Shore Fire Department, Bay Shore-Brightwaters Rescue Ambulance, the Town of Islip Fire Marshal’s office, New York State Department of Transportation personnel, MTA police and Suffolk County police each assisted with rescue, traffic control and incident management. A Hazmat team responded to a diesel fuel spill and worked for hours on cleanup, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation monitored nearby waterways for hazards.

Traffic impacts were immediate. The right lane of westbound Sunrise Highway was closed to allow Hazmat and cleanup operations, and westbound Sunrise Highway was closed until approximately midnight while crews cleared the scene and removed hazards. Bay Shore firefighters continued working into the night to stabilize and remove the overturned plow.

The crash occurred amid a coastal blizzard that slammed Long Island with more than 20 inches of snow and wind gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour in some locations, the National Weather Service warned, predicting "potentially life-threatening conditions" and whiteout conditions. State and local emergency actions in response to the storm included Gov. Kathy Hochul declaring a state of emergency and the deployment of more than 100 National Guard members to Long Island, while county officials extended travel bans — Suffolk until noon and Nassau until 11 a.m. — and Blakeman banned "civilian vehicle operation," urging caution with the warning "It's treacherous out there."

Regional transportation and utility impacts accompanied the crash and storm. Long Island Rail Road service was suspended after 1 a.m. until weather conditions allow resumption, NICE Bus pushed its morning resumption to noon, and PSEG Long Island reported more than 17,000 customers without power Monday morning. Suffolk County also reported roughly 125 weather-related accidents countywide as crews contended with the blizzard.

Local social-media posts and scene photographs circulated overnight. One Instagram post read in part, "Take a look at this. A state DOT plow truck overturned on Sunrise Highway. Oh my goodness. This is in the town of Icelip. We are told the" and a Facebook post said, "Clean up efforts are underway after a DOT snow plow overturned on Sunrise Highway Sunday night. Police are urging people are stay off of the" — both posts were truncated as they were shared. Patch-area images captured heavy snow, first responders working near the overturned NYS DOT snowplow and the vehicle lying on its side near Exit 44.

Officials at the scene said crews would continue cleanup and vehicle removal after midnight, with Hazmat and DEC overseeing containment of the diesel spill and NYS DOT coordinating the plow's recovery. Suffolk County police are handling the crash response and investigation while road crews work to restore normal traffic flow.