What Happened
Six people were rushed to a hospital after a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Union Boulevard and Islip Avenue in Islip late Thursday night, according to News 12 Long Island. The crash was reported around 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, 2026, and triggered a response for possible heavy rescue — a designation that proved warranted when crews arrived to find a driver pinned inside one of the vehicles.
Suffolk County Police told News 12 Long Island that a 2004 Buick sedan and a 2023 Honda sedan collided at the intersection. The two drivers were identified by age and hometown: a 57-year-old man from Commack and a 74-year-old man from Islip. Each vehicle carried passengers, bringing the total number of people involved to six — two drivers and four adult passengers.
Upon arrival, rescuers encountered multiple injured patients and discovered that one of the drivers was trapped inside their vehicle. Islip Fire Department crews deployed a Hurst tool — the hydraulic spreading-and-cutting device commonly known as the “jaws of life” — to cut the trapped victim free from the wreckage. Once extricated, EMS personnel transported the driver to receive hospital treatment.
All six individuals — both drivers and all four adult passengers — were transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore. News 12 Long Island reports that Suffolk police described every injury as non-life-threatening. No fatalities were reported as a result of the collision.
The call that brought emergency units to the scene was dispatched to the Islip Fire Department and Exchange Ambulance of the Islips as a motor vehicle crash with possible heavy rescue — standard protocol when initial reports suggest entrapment may be involved. The heavy-rescue designation allowed crews to stage the appropriate extrication equipment before arriving on scene, enabling a faster response once the trapped driver was confirmed.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Union Boulevard and Islip Avenue in the hamlet of Islip, a densely populated community in the Town of Islip in southern Suffolk County. Union Boulevard is a major north-south arterial road in the area, and its intersection with Islip Avenue — a key east-west connector — sees significant local traffic volume, particularly during evening hours. The intersection sits within a mixed residential and commercial corridor, making multi-vehicle crashes at that crossing a notable concern for the surrounding neighborhood.
Islip has seen a cluster of roadway incidents in the surrounding area in recent weeks, including an overnight closure on Veterans Memorial Highway on July 21 and a moderate-severity crash on I-495 the same day.