Double Accident Closes Lanes on LIE

Two separate accidents, one eastbound and one westbound, caused lane closures Thursday afternoon on the Long Island Expressway, cops said.

Nassau County Police said that an accident occurred on the LIE near Exit 41 just after 12 p.m. Thursday. After that, a car driving in the opposite direction collided with another on their side of the highway, police said. The second driver may have been distracted by the original accident, police said.

Both the eastbound and westbound HOV lanes and left lanes were closed as emergency crews tended to the victims.

Police could not confirm the status of those involved in the accident.

A cause for the first collision has not yet been reported.

This is a developing story. Patch will update with more details as they become available.