Two truckers die in yet another Thruway accident

Tuxedo - Another horrific accident occurred on the Thruway early Tuesday morning involving two tractor trailers. John Johnson, 27, of Baltimore, Md., was driving a tractor trailer north on the Thruway at 2:27 a.m. when he hit a guide rail, swerved to regain control and then slammed into another tractor-trailer parked off the right shoulder approximately 100 feet south of the Arden overpass. Both trucks worked for New England Motor Freight of New Jersey. According to Patrick Welch, district chief of the Tuxedo Fire Department, Johnson’s truck then careened forward and burst into flames below the bridge. The collision between the two trucks caused the rear wheels of the parked tractor-trailer to run over Gary Akehurst, 57, of Fallston, Md., driver of the second truck who had gotten out of the parked vehicle and was on the side when the collision occurred. Welch said the flames were so intense that firefighters used 50,000 to 75,000 gallons of water to douse the burning vehicle. The Department of Transportation was called to verify the structural integrity of the bridge along with the response of the Orange County Hazmat team, eight fire companies and the State Police. Despite the gruesome and hazardous nature of the accident scene, he said he “was overwhelmed with the spirit of cooperation with all of the responding fire agencies.” Welch said the fire crews were on the scene for five hours of the ten-hour shutdown of the northbound lanes. He said the accident caused a “serious logjam” in the southbound lanes also which were left open to traffic. According to the Times Herald-Record, the 15-mile stretch of road between Hillburn in Rockland County and the Harriman toll plaza has claimed 27 lives since 1997. Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt, R-C-Greenwood Lake, renewed her call for the Thruway Authority to investigate and take action to make the stretch of highway between Hillburn and Harriman safer. “Yesterday’s tragedy took two more lives in another unfortunate accident along this particular section of the Thruway that for some reason is accident prone,” said Rabbitt. “The incident was reminiscent of an accident that killed four people last year when their van was struck by a tractor-trailer while on the shoulder of the highway.” Last year Rabbitt called on the Thruway Authority to investigate this dangerous stretch of the highway. The Thruway Authority did so and concluded there were no logistical problems with the roadway that contributed to the accidents.