A tractor-trailer, two box trucks and another vehicle collided on the New York State Thruway in Rockland County on Friday, killing two people and causing traffic to back up for 10 miles.
The 10 a.m. crash near exit 14B of Interstate 87 in Suffern also led authorities to shut down the southbound lanes of the highway, authorities said. A third person had minor injuries.
An aerial view of the crash site showed one of the box trucks had burst open and littered debris across several lanes of the highway. A white tractor-trailer lay on its side. Emergency vehicles surrounded the scene.
State police Lt. Lawrence Muller told WCBS 880 that “it was a head-on” between one of the box trucks and the tractor-trailer. The truck was attempting to pass slower traffic, Lt. Muller said.
“When he attempted to merge back into traffic from the right lane back into the middle lane, he lost control of the vehicle,” he told WCBS 880.
Drivers should expect ongoing delays because of the crash.
