#4-year-old in critical condition after Staten Island crash

A 4-year-old is in critical condition after a three-car accident on the Staten Island Expressway on Thursday afternoon.

The child was a passenger in the rear of a Volvo SUV that slowed down because of westbound traffic near South Avenue at about 12:30 p.m., police said.

A pickup truck slammed into the Volvo from behind and the vehicle then crashed into a U-Haul being towed, according to police.

The child was taken to Staten Island University North Hospital and listed in critical condition.

The westbound lanes of the expressway were closed during an investigation into the crash for a little over an hour but had been reopened by late Thursday afternoon.