A major accident today on Interstate 88 in Otsego County sent eight people to hospitals and blocked westbound traffic for much of the afternoon.
There were no fatalities, according to Schenevus Assistant Fire Chief Paul Neske.
Schenevus fire crews initially were dispatched to a report of a car off the interstate around 11:50 a.m. By the time they had arrived, weather conditions had deteriorated, and they got a second report of an accident nearby that included a Trailways bus, three tractor-trailers and “numerous” passenger vehicles.
“At the time of the accident, [crews] were dealing with whiteout conditions, strong winds and icy roads,” Neske said.
Seven fire departments and eight ambulances responded to the “mass casualty incident,” and around 30 people were removed from the scene, but only eight of them were transported to area hospitals. A triage center and warming area was opened at Schenevus Central School and district school buses were used to transport people who were not injured away from the accident scene, Neske said.
I-88 still was closed to westbound traffic between exits 19 and 18 as of 7:30 p.m., and Neske said the command officer at the scene expected the interstate to remain closed until around 11 p.m.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
