Photos: Truck Crashes Off Veterans Highway

A truck carrying a heavy load of fencing crashed through the guard trail of Veterans Highway, causing major road closures early Monday. 

The driver or a flatbed truck transporting fencing to a Commack dump Monday morning hit a LIPA utility pole on Ledgewood drive in Smithtown, causing severe damage to the pole and vehicle, according to Suffolk County police. 

Police said the driver drove away from the scene of the accident before losing control of the truck on Veterans Highway, near the entrance of Northern State Parkway in Hauppauge. The truck went crashing off the side of Veterans Highway, with the rear tires catching on the edge of the guard rail to prevent the truck and driver from plunging down the entire length of the embankment. 

The truck spilled its entire load in the course of the accident. Suffolk County police were forced to shut down several major roadways until debris could be removed. 

The police arrested the 47-year-old, male truck driver, whose name was not released, for leaving the scene of an accident.