A tractor-trailer plunged off an I-88 bridge, landed on Route 7 and burst into flames, claiming the life of its driver in a horrific crash Sunday.
As of press time, State Police have not released the names of the truck driver or of two women who were injured when their car struck the truck on Route 7.
The crash took place just minutes after noon where I-88 crosses on an overpass above Route 7 just west of Podpadic Road in Richmondville.
Sergeant Alan Woodin of the State Police in Cobleskill said the truck was westbound on I-88 just east of the Route 7 overpass, "when for some unknown reason," the truck veered to the left and entered the median.
The truck then crossed the median and was traveling westbound on the shoulder and one lane of the I-88 eastbound lane.
"He hit the guardrail and peeled off about 150 feet of it," Sergeant Woodin said.
Hitting something, the truck jackknifed, flipped over and fell onto Route 7 between I-88's eastbound and westbound overpasses.
The truck, carrying four-foot diameter rolls of paper, landed on the north shoulder of Route 7, blocking the westbound lane and part of the eastbound lane.
A mother and her daughter, both from Worcester, were westbound on Route 7 as the truck hit the road, Sergeant Woodin said.
"The car hit the brakes, and it just touched the truck," he said. "The second it did, the truck burst into flames."
The two women escaped by walking through the flames and received emergency treatment near Podpadic Road, Sergeant Woodin said.
"I got to talk to them for just five seconds, and they said it looked like the truck just fell out of the sky," he said.
Firefighters from Cobleskill and Richmondville responded and extinguished the fire, which could have been worse.
"When the truck hit that guiderail [on I-88], it ripped open the saddle fuel tank and sprayed diesel fuel all over the road and median and grass," Sergeant Woodin said.
"Luckily, the fuel never caught fire. The fire departments did a great job."
Rescue squads from Cobleskill and Richmondville took the two women to a point where they were airlifted to Westchester Medical Center, Sergeant Woodin said.
The truck driver was trapped inside the cab, and it was unclear what caused his death.
Sergeant Woodin surmised the driver may have suffered a heart attack or stroke, but he was unsure. An autopsy was to be performed Monday.
State Police are still trying to reconstruct the accident. Although it was in the middle of the day and many people were on the road, no eye-witnesses have contacted troopers.
"Anyone who saw the accident, we'd like them to come forward," Sergeant Woodin said. "Usually, there are people nearby who see something."
Anyone with information can call the State Police at 234-9400.
I-88 and Route 7 were closed for short periods. The state Department of Transportation checked the bridge and found it to be safe after the crash, Sergeant Woodin said.
DOT crews were at the bridge repairing guiderails on Monday.