JUNE 3, 2015
SOUTH NYACK, NY
A fiery two-tractor-trailer accident on the northbound New
York State Thruway in Rockland is causing massive delays Wednesday morning.
There were reports of explosions after the accident shortly
before 6 a.m. just north of Exit 10 for Route 9W, South Nyack. Thick black
smoke rose from the scene.
The fire closed the northbound highway for about 90 minutes.
One lane was reopened as of 7:30 a.m., but Rockland-bound traffic on Interstate
287 was still crawling from Exit 6 for Central Westchester parkway in
Westchester at 9:15 a.m. Southbound traffic on I-87 was slow from the Garden
State Parkway.
Firefighters returned to the scene shortly before 9 a.m. after
the fire rekindled.
The incident started when one tractor-trailer pulled over on
the right shoulder after blowing out a tire, said South Nyack-Grand View police
Officer Pat Gallagher. A second tractor-trailer clipped the disabled one, then
veered, hit the wall of an overpass and burst into flames. The truck's tires
exploded in the fire, Gallagher said.
Both trucks' drivers walked away from the accident,
Gallagher said.
The accident originally had been reported to involve a truck
and a car.
Julio Nieves, who lives nearby, heard the crash. "I
just heard an explosion. I heard three of them," he told The Journal News
as he stood at the scene. "I was looking out my back window and I saw this
big cloud of smoke."
Orangetown Supervisor Andy Stewart, who lives in Nyack, came
upon the scene while walking his dog. "We heard a loud noise. There were
helicopters hovering over the Thruway," he said. "Whenever you hear
helicopters, you know there's problem on the Thruway."
Source: http://www.lohud.com