Medical Emergency Causes Red Hook Man To Crash Into 6 Vehicles

RED HOOK, NY — A Red Hook resident crashed into six vehicles after suffering a medical emergency in the village.

The Red Hook Police Department said, shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, there was a 911 call concerning a six-vehicle crash on South Broadway at the intersection of East Market Street in the village of Red Hook.

First responders found a driver who was unconscious and unresponsive.

Life-saving measures were performed on him, and he was taken to Northern Dutchess Hospital.

The driver was identified as Peter C. Rathjen, 56, of Red Hook. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

An investigation determined he was traveling north on South Broadway in 2023 Chevrolet truck when he suffered a major medical emergency.

That caused him to strike five vehicles on South Broadway and then another on East Market Street before this truck came to rest.

A driver of one of the vehicles that was struck — a 67-year-old Red Hook man — suffered head and neck injuries and was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center.

Red Hook police were assisted on the scene by the Red Hook and Tivoli fire departments, Northern Dutchess Paramedics and the New York State Police.