An 18-year-old graduate of Pembroke High School, who recently made the Dean's List at the University at Albany, was critically injured in a four-vehicle accident on the Thruway in the town of Salina, according to State Police.
According to Troopers, Anneka Pray was a front-seat passenger in a 2016 Jeep Compass driven by Christopher Baker, 22, of South Glens Falls.
According to the initial investigation, a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado, operated by Christopher J. Hernandez, 23, of Newark, lost control and swerved, causing a Ford F-550, driven by Barry J. Darling, 41, of Solvay, to brake and exit the north shoulder of the roadway to avoid a collision.
The Jeep rear-ended the Ford F-550 and partially entered the passing, where is was struck by a westbound Freightliner tractor-trailer operated by Sarjo Drammeh, 35, of Wisconsin.
The tractor-trailer fled the scene but was later located at the Seneca Service Area on the Thruway.
Pray, who has been blind since birth, participated in cross country at Pembroke and was praised by her teachers for knowing what she wanted and going for it.
“Anneka advocates well for herself,” Chelsea Hale, the vision teacher at Pembroke, told The Batavian in 2018. “She wants to be as independent as possible.”
She also participated in three musicals while at Pembroke.
Pray is listed in critical condition at Upstate University Hospital.
Baker, in serious condition, was also transported to Upstate. Darling sustained minor injuries and was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital.
The accident was reported at 6:08 a.m. on Friday in the area of mile marker 284.8.
The investigation is continuing, according to State Police.
A GoFundMe.com page has been set up to assist Pray and her family. According to the page, Pray suffered a traumatic brain injury.
