accident

A 21-year-old Le Roy resident died Wednesday night after a dirt bike he was driving collided with a minivan on Linwood Road in Le Roy.

The accident occurred at about 7:30 p.m.

According to state police, the victim, whose name has not yet been released, was southbound on Linwood Road. The van was heading north when it turned left into a driveway. The motorbike T-boned the minivan.

The victim died in the ambulance in route to the hospital.

State Police are investigating the accident and will release more information when it becomes available.

Information gathered by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service. Photos by Alecia Kaus.

Press release from the State Police:

On Sept. 18 at 7:38 p.m., troopers out of SP Batavia responded to Linwood Road in the Town of Le Roy for a two-vehicle collision.

Further investigation revealed that a 2013 Kawasaki dirt bike operated by Michael T. Leubner, 21, of Le Roy, was traveling southbound on Linwood Road and struck a 2018 Toyota van traveling northbound as it was turning into a driveway.  

Leubner was transported to Erie County Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. Leubner was traveling without a headlight.

New York State Collision Reconstruction Unit and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted in this investigation.

Information from New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health:

Genesee County is one of the state's top five farming counties by sales, with more acreage dedicated to corn for grain and silage than any other local crop. And this is the time of year motorists can expect to begin sharing the road more frequently with tractors, combines and other farm equipment.

So it's an especially good time to pay attention on rural roads to reduce the likelihood of accidents.

A fatal accident involving farm equipment occurred this year in Genesee County. In any given year, there are also accidents here involving farm equipment and motorists that result in minor or serious injuries.

Though only 19 out of every 100 Americans live in rural areas, more than half of fatal roadway accidents take place in rural areas, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that agriculture, forestry, and fishing as an occupational group has the third highest rate of work-related roadway crashes.

Collisions involving tractors and other farm equipment are the deadliest rural road accidents in New York.

In fact, crashes involving agricultural vehicles were found to be five times more fatal than that of non-ag crashes, according to the Rural Road Accident Study by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH).

The study was funded by Columbia University Center for Injury Science and Prevention and published recently in the Journal of Agromedicine. It was conducted because although agriculture-related crashes have been explored in the Midwest and South, little was known about agriculture-related crashes in the Northeast, specifically in New York.

NYCAMH released its findings this week in advance of National Farm Safety & Health Week (Sept. 15-21) and as the harvest season approaches.

For the study, electronic records from the NYS Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Accident Reports (MV-104) for 2010-2012 were analyzed. Agricultural cases were identified using variables for the vehicle body type and vehicle registration.

During this three-year time frame, NYCAMH researchers identified 203 agriculture-related accidents involving 381 vehicles and 482 people.

Of the agriculture incidents, 91.6 property caused property damage, while 36 percent caused injury.

Incidents involving farm vehicles or equipment tended to be more severe than non-ag crashes in terms of the number of vehicles involved, the extent of the injuries, and the number of resulting deaths.

Of the agriculture-related incidents, the most common event was a collision with another vehicle (80.8 percent). The second most common was a collision with a fixed object such as a ditch or embankment (10.3 percent), followed by an overturn/non-collision event (3.4 percent).

Poor weather conditions were rarely a factor in these events.

The study found straightaways tend to be most common crash site and crashes on straight roads with a grade were twice as common in ag-related crashes than in non-ag crashes.

NYCAMH deputy director Erika Scott speculates that this is due to non-agriculture vehicles attempting to pass slower-moving agriculture machinery on straightaways.

Although one likes being caught behind a tractor or other slow-moving farm vehicle, waiting a minute or two before you pass could make a lifetime’s difference.

NYCAMH has worked with the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee on issues surrounding slow-moving vehicle use. These initiatives have brought together the farming community, safety professionals and emergency services to raise awareness of slow-moving vehicles on the roadway.

If you’d like more information on this research, please contact the NYCAMH information specialist at info@nycamh.org. The abstract for this article can be found here.

A bright orange triangle-shaped Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) emblem, by law, must be mounted on any machinery that travels less than 25 mph on public roads.

NEW: A Speed Identification Symbol (SIS) is newly required by NYS law for equipment that moves between 25 and 40 mph.

Examples of slow-moving vehicles that these regulations apply to include tractors, self-propelled agricultural equipment, implements of husbandry, road construction and maintenance machinery, and animal-powered vehicles.

Seconds Count -- Tips for Sharing the Road with Farm Equipment during the Growing Season:

Motorists:

• Slow down. The faster you drive, the longer the stopping distance. When speed doubles from 30 mph to 60 mph, the stopping distance more than triples.
• Never pass with limited visibility or in a no-passing zone.
• Be alert for farm equipment that may be turning left. Tractors not only turn onto roads or into driveways but can also turn into fields.
• Slow down and increase following distance if you come upon equipment with an SMV emblem.

Farmers:

• Machinery must display a slow moving vehicle emblem when traveling under 25 mph. In addition to the SMV emblem, tractors and machinery must also display a speed-appropriate speed identification symbol (SIS) when travelling between 25 and 40 mph. Never exceed the top-rated speed of any trailed implements.
• Use proper lighting on farm equipment, including flashing amber lights in the front and rear. Use lights and flashers at all times of the day for increased visibility. Use of lights on tractors is required after dark and during times when visibility is reduced under 1000 feet.
• Stay in the lane, do not drive equipment half on the shoulder and half on the road. A tractor can easily lose control on a soft shoulder. Ditches that parallel most rural NY roadsides can cause potentially fatal rollovers for tractors.

Both:

• Look down the road as far as possible to be aware of what is coming and increase your warning time. At 60 mph, a vehicle is covering 88 feet per second.
• Distractions can double your reaction time. Pay attention and keep your phone shut off while driving. Hands-free phones are legal to use but can still be a distraction.

Top photo -- file photo from accident scene on April 13, 2017 on Route 20, Bethany. The wrecked tractor-trailer passed another tractor-trailer on a hill only to come upon a farm tractor towing a manure spreader. The farm tractor had just made a left-hand turn into a driveway, but the manure spreader was still in the roadway and the passing tractor-trailer clipped the rear of it and tore off the spreader's rear axel. Loaded with 80,000 pounds of cargo, the big rig continued off roadway into a guard rail and down a deep culvert into a creek filled with water. The trucker suffered a big bump on his forehead. Citations were issued. They had a lot of manure to clean up on Route 20 as a result of the accident.

Inset photo of SMV/SIS sign and bottom photo on rural road courtesy of New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health.

NYCAMH, a program of Bassett Healthcare Network, is enhancing agricultural and rural health by preventing and treating occupational injury and illness.

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A car vs. fire hyrdrant accident is reported in the city at 430 E. Main St.

UPDATE 4:43 p.m.: A first responder says it is believed the driver of a pickup truck that sheared off a fire hydrant and struck a rock wall in front of GCASA had a medical issue. The driver did not appear to be seriously injured. Mercy medics were evaluating him at the scene. City Fire Chief Stefano Napolitano said the accident was initially called in by an off-duty city firefighter who witnessed it. The firefighter said the truck struck a parked vehicle; that there was full air-bag deployment; and the truck came to rest on a wall. When firefighters and medics arrived, the truck driver was sitting on the porch. "It could have been a lot worse," Napolitano said. "This is a busy sidewalk -- a lot of pedestrians. We could have had multiple victims struck or pinned on the wall." GCASA Executive Director John Bennett said it was very fortuitous that there were no clients of GCASA out front smoking at the time of this incident or it could have resulted in injuries or even death. Normally, Bennett said, there might be as many as five to 15 people smoking cigarettes, standing on the sidewalk at or near the accident location. GCASA recently applied to the state for a waiver to create a designated smoking area, which in the past have been prohibited at substance treatment facilities, and while the waiver is pending, clients are using the designated smoking area at the back of the property. 

A semi-truck has reportedly left the roadway at Exit 47 off the Thruway and traveled well into a field.

Unknown injuries but the driver is reportedly passed out.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance responding.

Reader submitted photos.

An adult male bicyclist is being transported by Mercy medics to UMMC for evaluation of possible minor injuries after he collided with a car in front of Tops Market on West Main Street a short time ago.

City police, fire and medics responded.

A first responder said it appears the bicyclist T-boned the driver's side of a vehicle, knocking off the side mirror.

A possible car fire is reported following a rollover accident at Lewiston Road and Lockport Road, Alabama.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 11:27 p.m.: There is a report of a tractor-trailer involved and flames are showing. The driver is reportedly uninjured and out of the vehicle.

A rollover accident with a person being ejected from the vehicle is reported at the intersection of Meadville Road and Bloomingdale Road in Basom.

No further word on possible injuries.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 7:10 p.m.: A landing zone for Mercy Flight is being established.

UPDATE 7:19 p.m.: A 9-year-old child is being transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC. No loss of consciousness.

A motorcycle rider from Saegertown, Pa., succumbed over the weekend to injuries he sustained in an accident on Route 20 in Alexander on Saturday.

According to State Police, Frank L. Eckart, 65, was eastbound on Broadway Road and was slowing for the intersection with Route 98 when he lost control of his bike.

Eckart was ejected from his 2005 Harley-Davidson along with a 61-year-old passenger, whose name wasn't released.  

Mercy Flight transported Eckart to Erie County Medical Center where he later died as a result of his injuries.

The accident was investigated by State Police. 

Alexander fire assisted at the scene.

A 28-year-old driver from Rochester is suspected of running a stop sign on eastbound Lockport Road where it intersects with Route 98 in Elba, causing a two-car crash that led to serious injuries for his female passenger.

Nikitha Ganeshmurthy, 27, of Edison, N.J., is listed in stable condition at Strong Memorial Hospital after being transported there by Mercy Flight following the crash, reported at 6:17 p.m.

Tickets were issued to the driver of the car she was in, a 2017 Subaru WRX, Ashwin Mallikarjunaswamy, 28. Mallikarjunaswamy was cited for alleged failure to stop at a stop sign and failure to yield right of way.  

The couple was in route to Niagara Falls, according to Sgt. Andrew Hale.

The intersection is a frequent accident location with westbound cars often missing the stop sign at Lockport Road.

"It tends to be people from out of town who tend to miss that stop," Hale said.

Mallikarjunaswamy's sedan was struck on the passenger side by a 2009 Chevy Silverado driven by Edward M. Buczek, 65, of Elba.

Buczek suffered minor injuries and self-extricated from his pickup truck.

Investigators do not believe either driver was under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.

Mallikarjunaswamy suffered minor injuries as well. 

The crash investigation is being handled by Sgt. Andrew Hale, Sgt. James Deihl, Investigator Christopher Parker, Deputy Kyle Krzemien, Deputy Mathew Clor, Deputy Erik Andre, Deputy Brock Cummins, and Deputy Jordan Alejandro. Assisting at the scene were volunteers from the Elba Fire Department, Barre Fire Department and personnel from Mercy EMS and National Grid.

(Initial Post)

A two-car motor vehicle accident, with a one-vehicle rollover, is reported at Lockport Road and Quaker Hill Road, Elba.

One person is reportedly trapped in a vehicle.

Unknown injuries.

Elba fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: A person in a pickup truck has self-extricated.

UPDATE 6:32 p.m.: A landing zone is being set up for Mercy Flight.

A property damage accident is blocking the roadway in the city in front of 14 W. Main St. Minor injuries reported. A vehicle slammed into a tractor-trailer at the junction of Main and Ellicott streets. A first responder on scene says the passenger vehicle's tires are blown and it's "flat on the ground."

Dan's Tire is en route with a flatbed tow for the passenger vehicle.

The location is just east of Porter Avenue.

"Traffic is pretty bad," says a first responder.

City fire is on scene, along with law enforcement. Mercy medics are called to aid an elderly female who was a passenger in the car.

Photo courtesy of Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

From the NYS Police, Troop A, Batavia:

DARIEN -- Shirley Bane, 68, of Lockport, was killed Saturday in the Town of Darien after she failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Harlow and Sumner roads.

On Aug. 24, at 3:11 p.m. troopers out of SP Batavia responded to a two-vehicle collision at that intersection.

Further investigation revealed that Bane's 2017 Buick was traveling northbound on Harlow Road and failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Sumner Road.

The 2015 Dodge pickup truck was traveling westbound on Sumner Road and struck the 2017 Buick on the passenger side.

Bane was pronounced at the scene by the Genesee County Coroner. Occupants of the Dodge pickup were transported to a hospital and treated for nonlife threatening injuries.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the NYSP Collision Reconstruction Unit assisted in this investigation.

For previous coverage of the accident, click here.

A male was struck and injured by a pickup truck at 4199 Maltby Road on property owned by Torrey Farms. Elba Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

Photos courtesy of Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

A truck vs. SUV accident with injuries is reported at Sumner Road and Harlow Road. One person in a vehicle is reportedly unresponsive. Darien Fire Department and medics are responding with law enforcement.

UPDATE 3:19 p.m.: A first responder reports the accident is not blocking traffic.

UPDATE 3:23 p.m.: Corfu Fire Department is called to the scene.

UPDATE 4:15 p.m.: Tow trucks are called.

UPDATE 4:24 p.m.: This is a confirmed fatality accident. State police are handling the scene. The roadway is going to be shut down for accident reconstruction by the Crash Management Team. According to Alecia Kaus/Video News Service at the scene, an SUV was northbound on Harlow Road when the female driver failed to stop at the stop sign at Sumner Road. The SUV driver, who was the sole occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her SUV was T-boned by a pickup truck headed west on Sumner. The three occupents of the pickup were transported to a hospital with minor injuries. Trooper O'Callaghan will have a press release later with additional information.

UPDATE 4:35 p.m.: Traffic control is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 5:11 p.m.: Scene commander say roads are shut down completely at Sumner and Harlow. They are also stopping traffic at Reynolds Road and Fargo, and at Route 20 (Broadway Road) and Harlow. Campers at Darien Lakes State Park are being told about the road closures.

UPDATE 10:25 p.m.: NYS Police Troop A in Batavia confirms that notifications have been made to family members. So therefore, we are able to publish photos of the vehicles involved in the crash, courtesy of Alecia Kaus/Video New Service. As noted previously, Trooper O'Callaghan will have a press release later with additional information.

A one-vehicle rollover accident with injuries occurred at 403.6 on the westbound Thruway. Pembroke Fire Department is on scene, along with mutual aid from Indian Falls. NYS Police and Mercy medics are also on scene. 

East Pembroke was deployed at the Thruway entrance on standby but command put them back in service along with Mercy Flight, which was also on standby.

Extrication will be handled by Pembroke. Dickinson's en route for the tow.

No word on the injuries.

UPDATE 6:33 p.m.: This Thruway assignment is back in service.

A two-vehicle accident is reported at Oak Street and Richmond Avenue in the city. No injuries. It is blocking traffic. City PD and fire responding.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported at 945 Mammot Road in Darien. The occupants were entrapped, but are now out. Unknown injuries. The vehicle struck a transformer and power is out in the area. The transformer is reportedly on top of the vehicle.

Darien Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. The location is between Harlow and Warner roads.

UPDATE 9:09 a.m.: National Grid has been notified. No ETA.

UPDATE 9:12 a.m.: Pole #995 is intact, but the transformer that was on it was knocked down, a first responder confirms.

UPDATE 9:15 a.m.: A flatbed tow truck is called. A first responder says National Grid should be advised that the guy wires snapped that were attached to the utility pole. The power company has a 25-minute ETA.

UPDATE 9:19 a.m.: No injuries. Mercy medics are back in service.

UPDATE 10:15 a.m.: The Darien assignment is back in service.

A second ambulance is called to a motor-vehicle accident with injuries at Roanoke Road and East Bethany - Le Roy Road in Stafford. The vehicles are off the roadway.

Law enforcement is on scene along with Stafford Fire Department. Two tow trucks have been called.

UPDATE 12:37 p.m.: The Stafford assignment is back in service.

Investigators do not know why Michael N. Block, 50, of Williamsville, apparently lost control of his motorcycle at sometime before 7 p.m. last night in the area of 1027 Sliker Road but the resulting crash cost Block his life.

Block was driving a 2000 Yamaha going west on Sliker Road in Pembroke. He failed to negotiate a left-hand curve in the roadway. Block and his bike exited the road on the north shoulder and traveled through a hedgerow. Block struck several trees and lost his helmet. It was found wedged in a tree. Block came to rest in an open field.

Emergency responders were originally dispatched at 7:02 p.m. for a report of a male lying in a field unconscious. While deputies were in route dispatchers were updated by a first responder that the male had no pulse and was not breathing and that he had been involved in a motorcycle crash.

Pembroke fire, Indian Falls fire, Alabama fire, and Mercy EMS were dispatched.

When deputies arrived, CPR was in progress.

Block was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The crash is being investigated by Chief Deputy Brian Frieday, Sgt. Michael Lute, Investigator Howard Carlson, Deputy Mathew Clor, and Deputy Andrew Mullen. Accident reconstruction was completed by Sgt. James Diehl and Deputy Kyle Krzemien. Dickinson's Towing assisted at the scene.

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.