Sunken Meadow State Park reopens after deadly crash

Sunken Meadow State Park was reopened to the public Tuesday, a day after a fatal car crash and fire near its entrance caused police to close it.

George Gorman, Long Island regional director for state parks, told Newsday the park reopened late Monday following a state police investigation into the crash.

About 11:15 a.m. Monday, police responded to a report of a car crashing into the toll plaza of the multiuse facility in Kings Park that borders Long Island Sound. The vehicle was engulfed in flames and the driver was killed, officials said.

Due to the extent of the damage, state police said they could not immediately identify the driver or type of vehicle left charred in the wreckage.

Additional information about the crash, including the vehicle's speed at the time of the crash, was not immediately available late Tuesday.

The park was closed to the public and reopened late Monday after engineers inspected the toll booth structure and determined it was safe.

The booth at the far left of the structure, one of four at the park's entrance, is the most damaged and will be renovated, Gorman said. 

The toll booth area was built in the 1950s and renovated about 10 years ago, he said.