Crime & Safety
Driver Dead After Tractor-Trailer Bursts Into Flames
Police said the rig went off the roadway on Interstate 87 just before getting on the Cuomo Bridge in Tarrytown.
TARRYTOWN, NY — A tractor-trailer burst into flames on Interstate 87 after it left the roadway early Friday.
The New York State Police said troopers were sent to I-87 northbound in the village of Tarrytown shortly before 1 a.m. Friday for a report of a motor vehicle accident.
When troopers arrived, they found a tractor-trailer that was fully engulfed in flames.
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A preliminary investigation determined that the driver and sole occupant, Richard A. Simmons, 53, of Clifton Park, Saratoga County, left the roadway just before the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, striking the guiderail and a storage outbuilding.
Police said Simmons was pronounced dead at the scene.
Find out what's happening in Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollowfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
State police were assisted by the Thruway Authority, Tarrytown, Nyack and Central Nyack fire departments, along with the Tarrytown Volunteer EMS and Greenburgh EMS.
The cause of the accident is unknown, and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
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