Two-Vehicle Property Damage Crash Blocks Exit 24N Ramp on Southern State Parkway

Two-Vehicle Property Damage Crash Blocks Exit 24N Ramp on Southern State Parkway. 2 vehicles. May 14, 2026.

Updated May 15, 2026
MODERATE INCIDENT
2 vehicles
Road
Southern State Parkway
Reported
Updated
Source
Nysp
📌Approximate area — along Southern State Parkway Open in Google Maps →

Map showing incident location at 40.6800, -73.4000 Incident location, Long Island

What Happened

Two vehicles were involved in a property damage accident on the Exit 24N ramp from Southern State Parkway eastbound to Merrick Avenue northbound on Thursday, May 14, 2026. The incident occurred in the area where the parkway connects to the major arterial road serving the Merrick community in Nassau County.

Details about the time of the crash, the specific circumstances that led to the collision, and the types of vehicles involved remain unclear at this time. The severity has been classified as moderate, suggesting significant property damage despite no apparent injuries being reported.

The crash location is particularly notable as it involves the transition from the busy Southern State Parkway to Merrick Avenue, a heavily trafficked corridor that serves as a primary north-south route through the area. This interchange typically sees heavy commuter traffic during peak hours.

Emergency responders likely responded to clear the scene and manage any traffic disruptions, though specific details about response times and agencies involved have not been confirmed. The extent of vehicle damage and whether towing services were required remains unknown.

Location & Road Context

The accident occurred at Exit 24N of the Southern State Parkway, which connects to Merrick Avenue northbound in the Merrick area of Nassau County. This section of the parkway serves as a critical east-west transportation corridor across Long Island, with Exit 24N providing access to residential and commercial areas in Merrick.

The Southern State Parkway has seen significant accident activity recently, with 404 recorded incidents in our database. This particular stretch has experienced various incidents in recent days, including ongoing construction work involving repaving, roadwork, and variable message sign repairs that concluded on May 9th and May 10th.

Broader Impact

This incident adds to a concerning pattern of crashes along the Southern State Parkway corridor, following several serious accidents in recent weeks, including a fatal crash that resulted in an 18-year prison sentence for the driver involved just days earlier on May 9th. The frequency of incidents on this stretch of highway highlights ongoing safety challenges at various exit ramps and interchanges throughout the parkway system.

Topics

Southern State ParkwayLong Island accident todayLong Island traffic todayLong IslandNY

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I'm in a car accident Southern State Parkway?

Call 911 immediately if anyone is injured or if the vehicles can't be moved safely off the roadway. Stay at the scene — leaving the scene of an accident with injuries is a crime under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §600. Exchange license, registration, and insurance information with every other driver involved. Take photographs of every vehicle, the position of the vehicles before they're moved, all license plates, the road surface, traffic signs, and any visible injuries. Get the names and phone numbers of every witness — police often won't capture bystander witnesses on their own. Seek medical attention within 24 hours even if you feel fine; soft-tissue injuries and concussions can take a day or two to present, and a delayed medical visit weakens an injury claim. In Nassau County, NCPD responds outside of incorporated villages. In Suffolk County, SCPD covers the five western towns; East End towns have their own forces. New York State Police Troop L responds to accidents on state highways across both counties.

How long do I have to file a no-fault claim in New York?

Thirty days. New York Insurance Law §5102 requires you to file a Personal Injury Protection (PIP/no-fault) application with the insurer of the vehicle you were in (or, if you were a pedestrian or cyclist, with the insurer of the striking vehicle) within 30 days of the accident. Missing the 30-day deadline can void your no-fault benefits — that's up to $50,000 in medical bills and 80% of lost wages (capped at $2,000/month) per injured person. The form is the NF-2 application; your insurance carrier provides it on request. New York no-fault is a true PIP system: it pays regardless of who caused the crash.

How long do I have to sue after a Long Island car accident?

Three years from the date of the accident for personal injury claims under CPLR §214(5). Wrongful death claims have a two-year deadline under EPTL §5-4.1. If a government entity is involved (a county vehicle, a road defect on a state highway, a defective traffic signal, a county bus), you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days under General Municipal Law §50-e — that's a non-negotiable jurisdictional deadline, and missing it usually bars the claim entirely. Property-damage-only claims have the same three-year clock. The clock starts on the day of the accident, not the day you discover the full extent of an injury.

How do I get a copy of the police accident report?

If local police responded to the scene, the report is filed under an MV-104A form. In New York State, you can request a copy through the DMV at https://dmv.ny.gov/vehicle-safety/get-copy-accident-report (roughly $7 online, $10 by mail) once the responding agency has uploaded it to the state system, which usually takes 5-10 business days. NCPD and SCPD also have their own direct-request processes through the precinct that responded. If you weren't injured but the property damage exceeded $1,000, New York VTL §605 requires you (the driver) to file your own MV-104 report with the DMV within 10 days regardless of whether police responded.

How dangerous is Southern State Parkway ?

Long Island Traffic tracks every reported incident on this road across both counties — see the road profile page for the multi-year accident count, severity distribution, and the specific intersections that show repeated incident clusters. Suffolk and Nassau county roads with chronic problems are reviewed by their respective DOTs on a multi-year cadence; persistent issues are sometimes addressed with new signal phasing, lane-narrowing treatments, or — in extreme cases — a Vision Zero engineering response. Daily incident updates flow into our live-events feed every fifteen minutes.

Disclaimer: Incident information on this page is compiled from public sources including police reports, traffic agencies, and news outlets. It is provided for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current status of this incident. Do not rely on this information for legal, insurance, or emergency decisions. For emergencies, call 911.