MAY 18, 2015
SLOATSBURG, NY
A 40-year-old Orange County man died early Monday when his
pickup crashed head-on with a garbage truck on Sterling Mine Road, Ramapo
police said.
Police accident investigators were reviewing the wreckage,
including the pickup mangled during the 2:40 a.m. crash near Arcadia Court, a
horseshoe-shaped road in the western Ramapo village.
"We are trying to work on which vehicle turned into the
path of the other," Ramapo police Capt. Brad Weidel said. "It's
unclear to me, at this point, exactly what happened aside from the head-on
collision."
"It's a very violent collision," Weidel said. He
added about the pickup, "The driver's side is basically ripped
apart."
The driver's identity will be released after his family is
notified, Weidel said.
Sterling Mine Road remained closed in the area in both
directions as of 9:30 a.m. During the morning rush, traffic was jammed
eastbound on Sterling Mine Road from Tuxedo into Sloatsburg and on Eagle Valley
Road in Sloatsburg.
Police arranged for school buses to pick up students and
for residents to leave for work, the captain said.
Interstate Waste owns the garbage truck, Weidel said. Its
driver was shaken up, he said.
While there was no signs of alcohol or drug use, Weidel said
the garbage truck driver was taken for tests legally required for people who
operate the heavy trucks.
Police will impound the trucks for examination.