By Tien-Shun Lee
An accident involving three tractor trailers and a box truck at 5:24 a.m. last Thursday left one driver dead and delayed traffic on the Long Island Expressway until the afternoon, said police.
According to police, the accident was caused by a box truck that rear-ended a tractor trailer that was stopped in traffic on the center, eastbound lane of the LIE around 168th Street, setting off a domino effect. Propelled by the box truck, the tractor trailer rear-ended a second tractor trailer, which then rear-ended a third tractor trailer, the police said.
The driver of the box truck, Sigmund Beck, 66, of Philadelphia, died in his truck at the scene of the accident, said police.
One of the tractor trailer drivers was taken to Queens Hospital Center with minor injuries, said police. No one else was injured in the accident, police said.
It was not clear what caused the driver of the box truck to crash into the vehicle in front of him, said police. The accident was being investigated by the highway accident investigation squad.
The box truck belonged to the Store Wide Delivery Company of Secaucus, N.J. A representative of the company said the company had no comment on the accident.
A Haz Mat unit went to the scene of the accident to clean up the fuel that leaked on to the road as a result of the accident, said police.
The tractor trailers and truck were moved onto the Horace Harding Expressway service road by Utopia Parkway before they were towed away.
A police officer on the scene while the box truck was being towed away at around 1:45 p.m. said the accident slowed traffic on the LIE even after the vehicles had been towed to the service road.
The accident caused many delays for businesses and residents alike, including the late delivery of the Times Ledger Newspapers to the office in Bayside, and to the 7-11 at 41-02 Bell Blvd., where the newspaper is sold on the newsstand.
Reach reporter Tien-Shun Lee by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
