What should have been a new father’s routine drive home ended in tragedy along the Long Island Expressway, but police are still trying to figure out why it happened.
Brandon Gillespie, a husband of four years and father to a 1-year-old, was struck from behind by a Ford box truck just after midnight on Wednesday. Gillespie's Jeep Liberty had stopped in the LIE’s right lane in Smithtown just before the crash, according to Suffolk County Police, but investigators have yet to say why that happened.
“He works in the area and he was on his way home from dinner after work with some colleagues, and that’s all we know,” said brother-in-law Chris Prunty. “Amazing guy. Always there to listen to everybody. It’s just a complete tragedy for the whole family.”
After the crash, the driver of the box truck, Taron Smith, of Wyandanch, was arrested for driving with a suspended license. The Suffolk County district attorney’s office said the suspension came as a result of Smith’s failure to answer a summons in Queens in 2022.
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“It brings up more questions but no questions that we have answers to yet,”
Questions like did speed, distraction or something else play a role in the crash that killed the 36-year-old salesman. Police said they’re still investigating.
For now, Gillespie’s loved ones must wait for answers.
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“Everybody’s in total shock. It’s hard to process. We’re all just processing right now,” said Prunty, who said that Gillespie and his family moved to Smithtown from Connecticut only a few months ago.
“Just a young family starting out and it came to a crashing stop,” he added.
