A Mack truck making a right turn onto Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook Monday struck a man in a wheelchair, causing one of his legs to be amputated.
Witnesses at the scene say the victim, described as a Hispanic man in his sixties, was crossing Sunrise Highway northbound in his motorized chair using the crosswalk and its signal. (He was on his way to visit a relative working at the nearby lumber yard on Ocean Avenue, according to a witness.) The truck driver apparently didn't see him though and as he was making a right turn off of Ocean Avenue and onto the westbound side of Sunrise, he hit the man.
The truck amputated the victim's leg upon impact but he remained strapped in his chair, according to one eyewitness who was consoling the still-conscious-man as police and EMTs treated him at the scene. He was transported via a Nassau County Police Medevac helicopter to Nassau University Medical Center with multiple leg fractures and head trauma.
The current status of his condition is not known at this time.
Police shut down westbound traffic on Sunrise Highway, where Crime Scene detectives were called in to investigate, and Ocean Avenue from Sunrise to Merrick Road. As of 4 p.m., these roads were still closed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
