SELKIRK – One 18-year-old from Coeymans is dead and another is in serious condition after the 2001 Oldsmobile they were driving crashed head-on into a tractor trailer on River Road at around 9:19 a.m.
The 18-year-old driver, Logan Penzabene, was pronounced dead at
the scene and his passenger, Matt Hamilton, was rushed to Albany Medical Center Hospital where he is listed in critical condition, said Adam Hornick, a commander with the Bethlehem Police Department.
Both men were extricated from the vehicle by firefighters with the Selkirk Fire Department.
Penzabene and Hamilton graduated from Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School in June, 2016 and were studying at Hudson Valley Community College.
The driver of the 2013 Freightliner tractor trailer, John Norris, 40, of Clearfield Pennsylvania, was not injured. He was driving for ATS Specialized Inc., a trucking company based in Minnesota.
Hornick said the investigation showed Penzabene, who was headed northbound near Three Farms Dairy, crossed into the path of the southbound tractor trailer. It’s unclear why it happened, though.
The crash is still being investigated by the Bethlehem Police Department and the State Police Troop G Collision Reconstruction Unit.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation was at the scene to mitigate fuel that spilled from the tractor trailer. No water sources were contaminated.
Bethlehem Police are requesting that anyone who was in the area around the time of the crash or saw either vehicle traveling on the roadway prior to the crash to call 518-439-9973.
More information as it becomes available.
Photos by Tom Heffernan Sr.
