New York Personal Injury News & NYC Legal Current Events

Dump Truck Driver Plunges Off NY State Thruway In Rockland County

The Exit 15 overpass of the New York State Thruway in Ramapo has been the scene of deadly NY truck accidents in the past - and on Tuesday, July 7, the dangerous stretch of roadway was once again the site of a deadly truck accident.

According to New York State Police, 44-year-old Santos Ortiz was driving a garbage truck on the overpass when he lost control of his big rig and plunged 200 feet to his death in the Ramapo River between Suffern and Hillburn.

The truck's 250-gallon gas tank burst upon impact, dumping fuel into two town's water supplies. At the same time, the tractor-trailer's load of local garbage was also dumped into the river. Area wells were closed and residents used an emergency reserve tank while emergency crews cleaned up the accident.

Ortiz was pronounced dead at the scene, having received fatal head injuries during the fall. An emergency STAT Flight helicopter was called off from the scene once emergency officials confirmed the truck driver had died in the 18-wheeler accident.

One northbound lane of the New York State Thruway was closed for about an hour following the fatal truck crash. New York State Police are still investigating the cause of the truck accident, as the reason that Ortiz swerved off of the overpass is not immediately clear. Speed may have been a factor in the truck crash.

Clean-up crews, including Castleton Environmental Contractors and a hazmat team dispatched by the Department of Environmental Conservation, worked late into the night cleaning up both the truck's fuel and the garbage from the truck's trailer.

back to top