Montauk Highway Reopens After Shinnecock Hills Crash

Montauk Highway in Shinnecock Hills was shut down for a time after 2 p.m. Thursday when a truck drove off the road and struck a utility pole, according to a Southampton Fire Department spokesman.

Capt. Chris Brenner said a heavy rescue unit was called to the intersection of Lenape Road and Montauk Highway on a report of a motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival, firefighters found that a pick-up truck crashed into a pole, snapping it at the base, then kept going another 20 feet or so and came to rest against a tree. The driver, who was the sole occupant, was trapped, but the rescue squad was able to free him, Brenner said.

Southampton Volunteer Ambulance took the driver to Southampton Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Fire police shut down the road due to low hanging wires, and the Long Island Power Authority sent a crew to the scene, Brenner said.