QUEENS, New York — A horrific multi-vehicle pileup on the Long Island Expressway (LIE) turned a late-night commute into a scene of devastation Monday night, leaving two people dead and 10 others injured.

The fatal accident occurred around 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 near the Greenpoint Avenue exit in Queens. According to the New York City Police Department, a large coach bus was traveling eastbound on the expressway when it slammed heavily into a passenger vehicle. The force of the initial collision propelled that vehicle forward into another car.

The violent impact caused the coach bus to careen out of control, flipping over the central concrete median and crashing directly into oncoming traffic in the westbound lanes. The overturning bus crushed two additional westbound vehicles.

Upon arriving at the scene, first responders were met with a massive field of debris spanning both sides of the highway. The violent collision resulted in two immediate fatalities, with both the driver of the coach bus and a male passenger killed on impact. Additionally, emergency medical services rushed ten other victims to local area hospitals; among these injured individuals, authorities have confirmed that three remain in critical condition.

More than 70 firefighters and EMS personnel deployed to the scene to extricate trapped motorists from the mangled wreckage and manage the extensive crash site.

The expressway was immediately closed in both directions, bringing traffic to a complete standstill that stretched back for miles. Stranded drivers stepped out of their vehicles onto the tarmac, attempting to assess the situation as emergency crews worked through the night. Police eventually directed trapped motorists to carefully reverse down the highway to exit via nearby on-ramps.

The NYPD’s Highway Collision Investigation Squad has launched a comprehensive investigation into the exact cause of the initial crash. It remains unclear what caused the bus driver to strike the first vehicle, and officials have not yet announced when all lanes of the vital transit corridor will fully reopen to commuter traffic.