A Riverhead man operating a construction crane was charged with DWI and leaving the scene after crashing into several cars on the Long Island Expressway Tuesday night, injuring several people and leading police on a chase from Hauppauge to Medford.
Suffolk Police arrested Brian Sinclair, 47, of Riverhead on charges of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene. He was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned today in First District Court in Hauppauge.
Sinclair was operating a 2000 Liebherr crane eastbound on the expressway last night at about 6:20 p.m. when he struck a 1999 Nissan Altima, driven by a 26-year-old man, police said.
The crane then struck a 2015 Jeep Cherokee driven by a 61-year-old man, a 2008 Honda Civic driven by a 22-year-old woman and a 2018 Toyota RAV4 driven by a 53-year-old man, according to police. All of the vehicles were heading eastbound at the time of the crash.
Sinclair then fled the scene and was spotted driving erratically near exit 60 by a Highway Patrol officer Joseph Goss, police said. The crane slowed down but did not fully stop. Officer Goss jumped into the passenger compartment and ordered the driver to stop. Sinclair stopped the vehicle near exit 63.
Officer Goss sustained minor injuries and was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, police said.
The driver of the Nissan sustained minor injuries and was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital. The driver of the Jeep refused medical attention. The driver of the Honda was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, with minor injuries and the driver of the Toyota was also transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, with minor injuries.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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