Police confirm that one person has died and eight others are hurt following a crash on the Long Island Expressway Saturday afternoon caused by a driver allegedly on drugs.

Suffolk County Detective Sgt. James Madden says it the incident began at 3:30 p.m. when a red pickup truck traveling westbound on the LIE near Exit 68 struck the back of a minivan.

He says the pickup truck then crossed the center median, entered the eastbound lanes of the expressway and struck a motorcycle and another minivan.

Police confirmed one fatality in the minivan that was struck in the eastbound lanes. They say multiple other passengers were hospitalized.

"We don't know the extent of all the injuries, but it's still a very active investigation. We have detectives going to each hospital," says Sgt. Madden.

The driver of the pickup truck, Peter Visconti Jr.,  was arrested on Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) charges. He is still at Long Island Medical Center where he is being treated for his injuries that he sustained during the crash.

Since he is still at the hospital, he has not yet been arraigned.

The identities of those involved have not been released at this time.

Traffic in the area came to a standstill in the area for hours after the expressway was closed in both directions.