Twisted and burnt wreckage of fiery 18 wheeler crash with 2 passenger cars in LeRoy, NY on September 30, 2011 left several people injured and two cars destroyed.

LeRoy is located in Genesee County, New York in the western part of the state about 108 miles southwest of Cicero, 104 miles southwest of Syracuse, 339 miles northwest of Manhattan and New York City and 10 miles southeast of Batavia.

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The fiery semi truck crash occurred just before 8:00 a.m. Friday morning in LeRoy when a big rig, traveling northbound on Route 19 struck the rear of a red 2008 Mazda. The Mazda was slowing down to make a left turn onto Griswold Rd. at the time of the incident.

The driver of the red Mazda was Gregory Wodzicki, 22 years old, from Rush, NY. The Mazda was knocked to the side of the road and the tractor-trailer jackknifed and then crashed head-on into a second passenger car, a 2006 Chevy Impala driven by Patricia Ireland, 55 years old, from Bergen, NY located about 4 miles up Route 19 to the north from the scene of the accident.

After the semi truck hit the first car, it went off into the shoulder of the road, jackknifed, swung wide across the road and then tipped over. The big rig smashed into the Impala, caught fire and spilled its load of gravel onto the roadway.

Map showing location of fiery 18 wheeler crash in LeRoy, NY at the intersection of Route 19 and Griswold Rd.

The force of the impact to the Impala knocked it backwards about 150 feet. The Collision was so serious that Patricia Ireland had to be extricated from the vehicle by emergency crews. Ireland was airlifted by helicopter to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY.

Wodzicki was also traveling with a passenger in the red Mazda, Jason Hightower, 23 years old, also from Rush. Both were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by ground ambulance. The condition and extent of the passenger’s injuries is unknown, but Wodzicki was treated and released. Patricia Ireland’s was reported to be in “guarded” condition.

The semi truck was driven by Howard Mcintyre, 44 years old, from Vestal, NY. He was reported to have suffered internal injuries, but was able to escape from the burning truck by himself. He was also taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Two units from the LeRoy Fire Department were on the scene, the first unit handling the extrication of Patricia Ireland from her 2006 Impala and the second unit handling the fire suppression of the semi truck. The Bergen Fire Department also assisted with the fire suppression.

The crash is under investigation by authorites.

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Roy Sanders

TROY, N.Y. – Troy police are looking for a man who killed a child in a fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred in the City of Troy on Monday, May 30.

The city of Troy is located about 7 miles North of Albany, the state capital.

The child was identified as 6-year old Jahvion Perez who was struck in front of 395 10th Street around 7:45 p.m. Monday night.

The child was taken to Albany Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police say dozens of people watched as 21-year-old Roy Sanders struck the child  before fleeing in his pickup truck.

“It went crazy last night. I mean people were going crazy…crying, screaming, running after the vehicle, throwing stuff at him. People were chasing him by feet, people were getting in their car chasing the guy but they lost him on 787,” said family friend Shirley Rubinski.

WTEN reports:

Police say the truck involved, a black 2004 Ford F-150 driven by 21-year old Roy Sanders, fled the scene immediately.

Sanders is still being sought by police at this time. Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian has put up a $500 reward for information leading up to the arrest of Sanders.

As of 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, Troy police detained the truck involved, but have not located Sanders. Police will not reveal how the truck was found, but tell us detectives will work through the night processing the vehicle. They expect to release another update sometime late Tuesday morning.

“Honestly if I find him I’ll kill him myself. I hope the family gets him before the police.” said a family friend.

The office of Mayor Harry Tutunjian has posted a $500 award for Sander’s capture.

“The community is grieving and we need to do all we can to bring this criminal to justice,” said the Mayor in a statement released Tuesday.

Sanders, pictured above, was last known to be living at 43 Ingalls Avenue in Troy. He is a black male with brown eyes and black hair, and stands 5’9″ tall with a medium build.

Troy police say that Sanders was arrested in February on charges stemming from a December shooting. He was accused of shooting a man in the foot in a convenience store parking lot.

If you have any information on Sanders whereabouts, you are asked to call Troy police at 270-4421.

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On Thursday afternoon 48 year old Steven Didonna of Schenectady, NY was driving a semi trailer, headed west on the New York Thruway, also known as Interstate 90. The trailer section of the truck was carrying a load of bagged animal feed at the time of the truck accident. The semi truck is owned by Capitol Refrigerated Transport, based out of Schenectady, NY.

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Shortly before 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the refrigerated semi trailer truck had reached Oneida County and was about six miles east of Westmoreland when the truck accident occurred. As the tractor trailer drove near mile marker 238, the semi driver suddenly lost control of the 18 wheeler. The semi trailer swerved to the left, crossed over several traffic lanes, and crashed into the thruway’s median guardrail. The tractor trailer then veered back across the traffic lanes to the right, slamming into the guardrail running alongside the shoulder of the highway. The semi truck then flipped over onto it side coming to a rest across the median and partially into the left eastbound lane of the NY Thruway/I-90.

No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

The force of the impact detached the semi’s cab from the overturned trailer section, trapping the driver inside. Another driver on the thruway saw the truck accident and stopped to help the semi driver get out of the damaged cab section. Paramedics with the Oneida County Volunteer Fire Department and Westmoreland Firefighters arrived at the crash site and gave aid to the victim. The driver was hurt in his back and ribs, and was transported to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica where he is expected to recover.

The rollover truck accident also broke open the trailer section, spilling hundreds of bags of animal feed out onto the highway, blocking the westbound lanes of traffic. Highway crews arrived at the crash site and worked to clear the spilled cargo from the roadway.

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New York State Police shut down a section of the thruway around the truck accident and began rerouting drivers off the highway at the Utica Exit #31. Police officers with the Utica department helped direct diverted drivers to Genesee Street then to Auert Avenue, over to westbound Interstate 790, to westbound NY State Route 49 and then onto southbound Route 233. Drivers were finally allowed back on the NY Thruway in Westmoreland. The detours caused major traffic delays in Utica for most of the afternoon.

One westbound lane was reopened around 8:30 p.m. Thursday evening, more than six hours after the truck accident occurred. The inside left lane was kept closed while a team from Clinton Collision, based in Clinton, NY, worked to get the overturned trailer section back on its wheels and hauled off the thruway. The New York Thruway Authority reported that all westbound lanes were open shortly before 4:00 a.m. Friday morning.

At this time police have not made any statements on why the semi trailer went out of controlled and crashed. Investigators have conducted a reconstruction of the truck accident but have not released their findings to the public, although there have been reports that the truck driver was distracted just before the crash. The driver may face charges for Inattentive Driving in the single vehicle collision.

The truck accident remains under investigation.

On Tuesday night an unidentified truck driver was westbound on the New York Thruway, also known as Interstate 90. At the time of the truck accident it was dark and snowing and the highway surface was icy in areas. The cargo and destination of the semi trailer is not known.

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At about 6:30 p.m. the semi driver was traveling just west of the borderline between Onondaga and Cayuga counties when the truck accident occurred. As the tractor trailer was approaching the #39 exit on the thruway near the city of Van Buren the driver suddenly lost control of the 18 wheeler. The semi trailer slid across the westbound lanes and then jackknifed. The tractor trailer then flipped over on its side, falling across all westbound lanes of the NYT/I-90.

A second semi trailer came up on the crash site almost immediately and apparently the second driver did not see the overturned 18 wheeler in time to avoid a collision. The semi driver plowed into the flipped tractor trailer. A few seconds later a third westbound semi truck arrived and crashed into the pile created by the chain reaction truck accident. The disabled trucks would end up completely blocking westbound traffic and part of the interstate’s grassy median. One of the drivers was trapped inside the cab section of their truck.

The force of the chain reaction collision damaged at least one of the fuel tanks and a fire broke out in the pile of crashed semi trucks. A trailer section on one of the 18 wheelers broke open and an unspecified amount of cargo spilled out. Firefighters with the Lakeside Fire Department rushed to the truck accident scene and began to battle the flames while a rescue team began to extricate the trapped semi driver. Once he was free EMTs began to give aid to the three drivers who had sustained a range of injuries in the crash.

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Authorities would alter identify the three truck drivers as 35 year old Troy Nestor, 39 year old Mark Hutchings, and 26 year old Raefael Mekhridze. Officials did not indicate which driver was in the first semi that jackknifed and set off the chain reaction truck accident, and the two drivers who subsequently crashed into the overturned tractor trailer.

Mr. Nestor and Mr. Hutchings were hurt in the crash and were stabilized at the scene before being transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. The extent of their injuries was not released but they were described at non-life threatening. The third driver, Mr. Mekhridze, was not injured in the truck accident.

NY State Police responded to the multi vehicle collision and helped divert westbound traffic around the disabled semis. The westbound lanes of NYT/I-90 were closed between exits 34 and 40 and drivers were rerouted to secondary routes. Highway crews were brought to the truck accident site to help clear the wreckage of the burnt semi, the spilled cargo and other debris that was scattered on the highway. Heavy duty tow trucks were brought to the crash site to haul away the downed tractor trailers. All lanes reopened shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Authorities are in the preliminary stages of their investigation and have not released any details. It is not known if the truck accident was caused by icy roads, driver error, or mechanical failure. Officers reconstructed the incident and it is believed the wreckage of the first tractor trailer would be looked at for any mechanical problems.

No charges have been made pending the completion of the truck accident investigation.

Early Tuesday morning 27 year old David Baldi of Hamburg, NY was working as part of a highway crew. The four person team was repainting the stripes on the Niagara section of Interstate 190, also known as the New York Thruway. The crew was in the right lane of the interstate, which was closed to traffic. The painting truck was lit and several warning arrow boards were in use to alert drivers to the work crew. The painting crew is employed by Accent Stripe, Inc. of Orchard Park, NY.

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The truck accident happened at around 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning as the painters worked on the section of the interstate between Smith Street and Seneca Street in Buffalo. According to officials, 60 year old truck driver Dale Hersh of Coshocton, NY was driving a semi tanker truck south on I-190 when he approached the four workers and their painting truck. The truck driver worked for a company based in Rochester and had picked up a cargo of propane in Ontario at about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday.

For unknown reasons as the tanker truck passed the highway crew the driver swerved into the closed, right traffic lane and slammed into the back of the painting truck. The force of the rear-end truck accident crushed the back part of the painting truck.

Rescue teams quickly arrived at the crash site and tried to aid the painting crew. They found that Mr. Baldi had sustained fatal injuries in the truck accident and was likely killed upon impact. A second worker on the painting crew, 27 year old Timothy Brown of Cherry Creek, NY, was also hurt in the rear end collision. He was treated for what was described as non life threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital for additional care.

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The driver of the semi, Mr. Hersh, was also treated at the truck accident site. He was reportedly having some type of heart problems and was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital. He received treatment and was released sometime Tuesday.

New York State Troopers had to shut down a section of the thruway while the emergency personnel helped the victims and highway crews cleared the scene. The truck accident had an immediate impact on the morning commuter traffic causing delays for hours. The southbound lanes of the interstate between Seneca and Smith Streets were closed down for about six hours on Tuesday while clean-up teams worked and officials reconstructed the incident.

NY State troopers in charge of investigating the deadly rear-end collision have not determined the exact cause of the crash. The weather was clear and they do not believe it was a factor in the truck accident. There is a possibility that truck driver was fatigued or suffered a medical emergency moments before his semi trailer slammed into the smaller painting truck. Authorities said that the tractor trailer would be inspected by the NY State Commercial Vehicles Unit to determine if there were any mechanical problems on the 18 wheeler.

At this time no charges have been brought against the truck driver, however he could face criminal citations if found responsible for the deadly truck accident.

The investigation of the truck accident remains open.

Hazmat teams from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation reported to the site of the truck accident to clean up the fuel spill.

Shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning 40 year old Michael E. Sullivan of Felicity, Ohio was driving a semi trailer truck east on the New York Thruway in Cayuga County, NY. The trailer of the truck was loaded with a cargo of cardboard boxes. The New York Thruway is also known as I-90.

As the semi traveled the interstate approaching the city of Weedsport it was cut off by a car that suddenly moved into the trailer truck’s lane. The truck driver attempted to slow and swerve to avoid colliding with the smaller vehicle.

The maneuver may have caused the trailer truck’s brakes to lock up, throwing the rig out of control. The semi left the highway and went onto the right-hand shoulder of the road. The 18 wheeler truck then slammed into a guardrail alongside the thruway and flipped over on its side. The trailer section of the semi truck landed across lanes of traffic.

No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

Local emergency medical personnel and rescue teams responded to the site of the truck accident. The truck driver was extricated from the cab of the semi and stabilized at the scene. He was then transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. Mr. Sullivan suffered injuries to his neck, back and hip. His condition is unknown but his injuries are considered non life threatening.

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The trailer of the truck was able to hold onto its cargo during the rollover however the impact of the truck accident apparently punctured at least one of the gas tanks and diesel fuel began to spill out on the highway. Officials reported that about 100 gallons of fuel leaked onto the road surface. Hazmat teams from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation reported to the site of the truck accident to clean up the fuel spill.

Highway crews and a heavy duty wrecker were brought to the site of the truck accident to get the semi trailer back up on its wheels. The work would take several hours and caused delays during the morning commuter rush.

State Police shut down a section of the eastbound lanes of New York Thruway/I-90 around the truck accident and diverted traffic around the disabled semi. Officers used the off and on ramps to Weedsport to reroute drivers around the site. The westbound lanes of the thruway were not affected by the crash. The lanes were cleared and traffic was flowing again by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.

NY State Police conducted a reconstruction of the truck accident to determine the cause of the crash. The state’s commercial trucking commission will likely conduct their own investigation and inspection of the semi trailer truck and its braking system.

No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

The Thruway was closed for seven hours after 3,000 gallons of chlorine spilled from the semi.

At about 1:50 a.m. Monday morning 55 year old Robert Lawrence of Galway, NY was driving a semi tanker truck north on the New York Thruway in Greene County, NY. Mr. Lawrence was driving a tanker truck owned by Slack Chemical Company based in Cartage, NY. He was carrying a cargo of about 4,700 gallons of hypochlorite solution, a bleach-like chemical. According to experts the chemical is similar to swimming pool-shock treatment and stronger than regular household bleach. 

As Mr. Lawrence drove his tanker truck north on the thruway he apparently encountered a deer on the highway between exits 20 and 21. He lost control of his rig when he swerved his large truck to avoid hitting the animal. The tanker truck crashed into the guardrail at the side of the thruway and then flipped over onto its side close to mile marker 110.9. The force of the truck accident damaged the tank and it spilled about 3,200 gallons of its chemical cargo out onto the highway.

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Numerous departments responded to the truck accident scene including several local fire and rescue teams and officials with the New York State Police.
The driver suffered minor injuries in the rollover truck accident. He was transported via ground ambulance to Albany Medical Center Hospital where he was treated for lacerations and released sometime Monday.

NY State Police shut down the thruway surrounding the truck accident site between Saugerties and Catskill while the various crews worked to clean and contain the chemical spill. Departments working on the spill included NY State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Greene County HazMat Team. They were able to keep the chemical from entering the nearby water systems and also keep it from harming area wildlife. Workers also monitored air quality and tested for chemical contamination.

The northbound lanes of the NY Thruway around the tanker truck accident were closed for about seven hours. NYSP rerouted vehicles at exit 20 and at times traffic was backed up for ten miles. The lanes were finally reopened at about 9:00 a.m. Monday morning.

At this time no charges have been made and the truck accident remains under investigation.

After crashing into the trees the semi trailer truck burst into flames, engulfing the cab.

Shortly before 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning 49 year old Freddie Hatfield of Decatur, Alabama was driving a semi trailer truck east on the New York State Thruway/I-90 in Genesee County, NY. The trailer truck was carrying a cargo of paper rolls and other building materials for a company based out of Lincoln, Nebraska. The truck driver was traveling a route that began in Ohio and was destined for Gates, NY.

Firefighters fought the flames while rescue teams worked to free the driver from the cab of the burning trailer truck. However, when they reached him they found that the driver suffered fatal injuries in the collision and died at the scene.

As the driver traveled through the area near Exit 47 for Le Roy, NY he lost control of his 18 wheeler for unknown reasons. According to New York State Police officials, the semi truck was seen weaving back and forth in the inner eastbound lane for several minutes before the incident. The semi truck went off the highway onto the right shoulder and slid about 50 feet on the grassy area alongside the thruway. The trailer truck then crashed into the woods that ran along the thruway and smashed into a tree. After crashing into the trees the semi trailer truck burst into flames, engulfing the cab.

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A driver who passed the out of control rig witnessed the truck accident through his rear view mirror. The witness told NY State Police that he saw sparks coming from the truck as it skidded on the grass. The truck went into the woods and the witness could see trees and branches flying, and pieces of the trailer truck as it began to break apart. He then saw it come to a sudden stop and explode into flames.

The Henrietta Fire Department and emergency personnel rushed to the scene of the truck accident. Firefighters fought the flames while rescue teams worked to free the driver from the cab of the burning trailer truck. However, when they reached him they found that the driver suffered fatal injuries in the collision and died at the scene.

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Equipment and crews were brought in to remove the burnt wreckage of the semi trailer truck and other debris from the highway. At the same time police investigators did a reconstruction of the truck accident and gathered evidence to determine why the driver lost control.

The truck accident caused serious delays throughout the morning, impacting the morning rush hour commute. State police closed down a section of the thruway surrounding the truck accident site, diverting traffic around the scene, and the closures caused backups for miles.

Based on their preliminary investigation officers believe that a fuel line on the semi trailer may have ruptured just before or at the moment the 18 wheeler crashed into the trees.

The truck accident remains under investigation.

New York State Police troopers and local emergency personnel responded to the scene.

Shortly before 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, 31 year old Travis Downs of Shelby, Ohio was driving a semi trailer truck east on the New York State Thruway, also know as Interstate 90. The tractor trailer truck is owned by Hall Trucking Express of Findlay, OH and Mr. Downs was hauling a load of aluminum soda can tops.

As the truck driver drove in the vicinity of Exit 40 on the thruway he apparently lost control of his 18 wheeler. According to reports, Mr. Downs told authorities that he had fallen asleep at the wheel just before the truck accident. The semi trailer truck left the roadway and crashed into a concrete barrier at the side of the highway.

The 18 wheeler truck then moved to its left and flipped over onto its side. The semi rig finally came to a rest blocking both eastbound lanes of the thruway between the off ramp for Exit 40 and the on ramp for the thruway.

No other vehicles or persons were involved in the truck accident.

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New York State Police troopers and local emergency personnel responded to the scene of the rollover truck accident. The truck driver was stabilized at the site and then transported to nearby Auburn Memorial Hospital in Auburn, about 9 miles away. According to a hospital supervisor the truck driver suffered minor neck and back injuries that were not life threatening. Mr. Downs was treated and released from the hospital later on Wednesday.

The state police shut down a section of the NYS Thruway surrounding the truck accident site so that the disabled semi truck could be moved from the highway and crews could clear debris off the traffic lanes. Workers had to off-load the cargo of aluminum soda can tops before the 18 wheeler truck could be up-righted.

While the thruway was closed, state troopers rerouted eastbound traffic off the highway onto Route 34 south and then on to eastbound Route 31 to the I-690, detouring vehicles around the truck accident site before allowing them back on the thruway at the I-690 Exit 39 interchange.

The rollover collision had a significant impact on the morning commute, with the clean-up crews and truck accident investigators working for more than five hours. Authorities finally reopened the eastbound lanes of the NYS Thruway shortly after 9:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

At this point no charges or citations have been made against the truck driver and the accident remains under investigation.

Local police and emergency personnel were quickly at the scene of the multi vehicle truck accident. The Pontiac was severely mangled and emergency workers had to use the Jaws of Life to remove Mrs. Ryan and her daughter.

Shortly before 6:00 p.m. Wednesday evening, 44 year old Barbara Ryan and her 11 year old daughter of Bethpage, NY, were driving in a Pontiac sedan on Central Park Avenue, at the intersection with Hicksville Road. The intersection is controlled with traffic lights. When the light turned green for Ms. Ryan she proceeded to make a left hand turn onto Hicksville Road.

At that moment 32 year old Ryan Draper was driving northbound on Hicksville Rd. in a semi tractor truck for CFM (California Food Markets) based in Watertown, NY. Mr. Draper ran through his red-light signal and slammed broadside into the Pontiac, crushing the smaller vehicle. The impact of the collision reportedly shook houses near the accident site.

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The 18 wheeler truck also hit a Lincoln Town Car driven by a 71 year old woman. This second truck accident caused the Lincoln to hit two other cars, a Honda driven by a 23 year old man and a Mitsubishi.

Local police and emergency personnel were quickly at the scene of the multi vehicle truck accident. The Pontiac was severely mangled and emergency workers had to use the Jaws of Life to remove Mrs. Ryan and her daughter. Once free the two were transported to a local hospital. Their injuries from the truck accident were fatal and both were pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.

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The woman driver of the Lincoln had injuries to her shoulder and ribs and was taken to the hospital. She is listed in stable condition. The Honda driver sustained injuries to his neck, back, and shoulder. His condition is unknown. The driver of the Mitsubishi was not injured in the truck accident. In total four people were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the semi tractor truck was uninjured after the truck accident. Authorities confirmed that the truck driver is cooperating with the truck accident investigation. He submitted to a breathalyzer test and had blood drawn for a more extensive toxicology test. The breathalyzer results were negative, but it will be several weeks before the blood toxicology test results are returned.

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Authorities shut down all lanes of traffic on Hicksville Rd. in the area surrounding the truck accident. The lanes would stay closed for several hours as crews cleared the wreckage of the multiple collisions and police conducted an accident reconstruction.

The intersection of Hicksville Road and Central Park Avenue where the truck accident happened is considered dangerous. Drivers turning left onto Hicksville Road have to cross over four lanes of traffic. According to local police in the last four years there have been 79 accidents at the intersection.

At this time no charges have been brought, pending the results of the toxicology test. The CFM semi truck is also being checked for mechanical failure.

The truck accident remains under investigation.