Wednesday, June 3, 2015

TIRE EXPLOSIONS AND FIERY COLLISIONS INVOLVING TWO SEMI-TRUCKS IN ROCKLAND COUNTY, NEW YORK








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