Truck causes NY traffic pileup; 1 dead, 33 hurt

December 19, 2012 | Modified: December 20, 2012 at 12:46 am
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A tractor-trailer still smolders hours after a chain-reaction crash on the Long Island Expressway on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 in Shirley, N.Y. At least one person was killed and 32 others were injured in the pileup, which involved about two dozen vehicles. (AP Photo/Frank Eltman)

SHIRLEY, N.Y. (AP) — A tractor-trailer has smashed into several vehicles on a major New York highway, setting off a chain reaction of fiery crashes. Police say the accident has killed one person and injured 33 others.

The accident happened Wednesday afternoon on the Long Island Expressway, about 70 miles east of New York City. It left at least two dozen vehicles strewn across several hundred yards of the expressway's eastbound lanes.

The tractor-trailer and at least two other vehicles caught fire.

Police say a 68-year-old Blue Point woman died at the scene.

The tractor-trailer driver has been identified as 42-year-old Rockingham, Vt., resident Raymond Simoneau. Police say he was uninjured.

Police are trying to figure out what caused the accident. No charges have been filed.