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Hauppauge Man Dies After Hitting Garbage Truck in St. James

A police investigation is underway.

Update 12:30 p.m.: A Hauppauge driver was killed Wednesday morning in a St. James accident. 

According to Suffolk County Police, Jaime Rodriguez, 25, of Hauppauge, crossed into the westbound lanes while driving eastbound on Route 25 near Huber Place in a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee when he collided with a 2004 Mack garbage truck. The accident occurred at roughly 2 a.m.

A physician assistant from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office pronounced Rodriguez dead at the scene.

Joseph Mundy, 50, who was driving the garbage truck, was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Detectives are at the scene conducting an investigation. Anyone with information could call the Fourth Precinct at 854-8444.

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Update 8:45 a.m.- Middle Country Road is now open.

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Original story:

A fatal car crash in St. James early Wednesday morning has closed a section of Middle Country Road.

According to police, a garbage truck traveling westbound on Middle Country Road collided with a car traveling eastbound at 2:03 a.m. Police said the male driver of the car died at the scene. The driver of the garbage truck was transported to Stony Brook Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police have closed Middle Country Road between Lake Avenue and Hillside Avenue due to an ongoing investigation. The names of the drivers have not been released. Patch will continue to update this story as information becomes available.

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KFM May 21, 2013 at 04:17 pm
How, in a period of rapidly declining enrollment, can costs be increasing so much from year to year,Read More you ask? The answer is in front of you in black and white. I urge you to READ your district’s budget: we are funding retirements when many of us cannot afford to fund our own during difficult economic times. These wheels were set in motion by contracts negotiated in times of unrealistic growth that may likely not occur again. It is time to open up these plans and relieve this unfair burden from our shoulders. Whatever other measures are pursued in order to control costs, including consolidation within and eventually with other districts, are never going to be enough if you cannot get this problem corrected. Write your congressman, for the love of God. If you need any more incentive to do so, please go to http://rocdocs.democratandchronicle.com/database/teacher-pensions-new-york and look at what Smithtown’s retirees are collecting MONTHLY. It will sicken you.
KFM May 21, 2013 at 04:12 pm
They are allowed to exclude the pension and employee benefit increases when expressing the increase.Read More
Billie B May 20, 2013 at 10:17 am
Tomorrow is the vote..vote NO NOW or our taxes are going to continue to sky rocket. Unless we doRead More something this town will continue to spiral down. More taxes aren't going to help. We need to cut expenses and get ourselves on a fiscally responsible plan.