A semi truck accident left one woman seriously injured and part of New York’s state Route 19 near the thruway and the town of LeRoy shut down.
The accident took place just north of where Route 19 meets Interstate 90 and is reported to have involved a tractor-trailer and two other cars on the highway.
According to Genesee County Sheriff’s officials, the accident took place just before 8 a.m. on September 30. The tractor-trailer, carrying a large supply of ground stone or gravel, was heading south on Route 19 toward I-90. For reasons unknown, the vehicle abruptly swerved, hitting two nearby cars before overturning and landing on its side in the middle of the highway.
Moments after the accident, the driver managed to jump out of the cab, which had already started burning; after the driver got out, the cab became engulfed entirely in flames.
One of the women in the cars that the semi truck hit was injured, and trapped in her vehicle following the wreckage. Rescue crews had to pry the car open in order to get her out, and her injuries were severe enough that she was transported by medical helicopter to the nearby Strong Hospital. She is still listed in serious condition as of this writing.
The others involved in the accident were not seriously hurt. However, the driver of the semi truck and two other women who were in vehicles hit by the semi were all taken to nearby hospitals by ambulances as a precaution.
Cleanup of the highway took several hours to complete, as ground rock was covering large portions of the highway. This of course shut down the highway for some time, as large piles of loose material can be difficult to quickly clean up. The semi truck itself was reported to have landed in the front yard of a nearby bed and breakfast.
