SELKIRK – Bethlehem Police, Selkirk Fire Department and EMS responded Tuesday, March 28, at 5:02 p.m. to a fatal two-vehicle crash in the area of River and Lyons roads. The crash injured the vehicles’ three occupants, one of whom died after being transported to the hospital.
Police say Kim L. Kawai, 63, of Cohoes, was driving northbound on River Road when she crossed over the center lines of the roadway, colliding head-on with a vehicle that was traveling southbound on River Road driven by Suzette M. Langworthy, 59, of Selkirk. Dennis M. Charland, 66, of Selkirk, was the front-seat passenger in Langworthy’s 1990 Astro van.
Kawai was reportedly distracted by a pedestrian on the side of the road and moved into the other lane.
According to Albany County paramedics, all three victims were conscious and talking when first responders arrived on the scene. They were transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital by Delmar-Bethlehem EMS.
At the hospital, Charland died from his injuries, while Langworthy was admitted for further treatment. Kawai was treated and released.
Selkirk Fire Chief Tom Neri said Charland was conscious when he arrived on the scene, although he appeared to be in a lot of pain.
“EMS informed us that all people were out of the vehicles and Selkirk Fire just needed to do traffic control,” Neri said.
It was originally reported that the occupants were trapped and smoke was coming from one of the vehicles, but Selkirk fire officials determined the smoke was steam from the radiator of the van.
“The entrapment was just a stuck door on one of the vehicles,” Neri said. “It was opened by one of our firefighters in his civilian car that came upon the accident. They got the door open before we arrived on the scene.”
Once it was classified as a fatal accident, the Albany County Crash Investigation Team returned later that night to the crash scene and performed reconstruction.
“We did not know it was a fatal crash until we had to shut down the road later that night,” Neri said. River Road was closed from Clapper to Beaver Dam roads.
Kawai was charged with failing to keep right and unlicensed operation, both traffic violations. Kawai had an expired license, due to living out of the country and not renewing it.
Selkirk Fire Department, Albany County Paramedics, Delmar-Bethlehem EMS, the Albany County Crash Investigation Team, and the New York State Department of Transportation all responded to the scene.
This is the first time the Albany County Crash Investigation Team was used in Bethlehem. The team is composed of personnel from various police departments in Albany County.
