A Bayside man and two of his passengers were killed when his vehicle was involved in a pileup on the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth early Wednesday morning that injured 11 others, authorities said.
Law enforcement sources said the pileup occurred at about 4:20 a.m. on the lower level of the expressway near the Maurice Avenue exit.
According to police, the massive accident was triggered by a 2010 Infiniti sedan operated by Michael Fabre, 25, of 231st Street in Oakland Gardens and traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed.
Authorities said Fabre suddenly lost control of the vehicle, which struck a divider with such force that the sedan split in half, police said.
Part of the vehicle wound up in the left lane of the expressway, where it was struck by a 2012 Acura TL operated by a 27-year-old man in the left lane. Then, a 2015 Kenworth dump truck was unable to stop and plowed into five other vehicles near the scene of the accident.
Officers from the 108th Precinct, Fire Department units and EMS units responded to the scene. The eastbound lower level of the LIE was completely shut down; with rubberneckers in the westbound lanes slowing down as they passed the accident scene, traffic was backed up in both directions during the morning rush hour.
Fabre and two passengers inside the Infiniti sedan — Long Island residents Giovanny Sanchez, 24, of Brentwood and Christina Formato, 24, of Franklin Square — were pronounced dead at the scene. Two others were pulled from the car and rushed to Elmhurst Hospital; one was listed in critical condition, and the other was in stable condition.
Eight additional victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment of various injuries, Fire Department sources said. One driver who suffered minor injuries refused medical attention.
The investigation is ongoing.
