A wrong-way driver died in one fiery collision when he hit a tractor-trailer Wednesday night on a Hudson Valley highway, police said.
Amiel Maerling32, was driving his 2008 Ford F-150 eastbound in the westbound lanes of State Route 17 between Middletown and Goshen, according to New York State Police.
A 911 call came in around 10:00 p.m. and police noticed Maerling flying past the Middletown exitsauthorities said. Two different police officers — a Middletown officer and a New York State Trooper — spotted Maerling’s vehicle and attempted to pull him over.
However, Maerling continued to drive in the wrong direction until he hit a 2020 International tractor-trailer head-on near Exit 122 in Goshen, according to state police. Both vehicles caught fire and Maerling was pronounced dead at the scene.
The truck driver, who was not publicly identified, was rushed to the scene Garnet Medical Centerwhich is conveniently located just down the highway from the accident scene.
“The investigation into this incident is ongoing,” state police said in a statement. “Anyone who may have seen the crash or observed the wrong way Ford [F-150] before the collision is urged to call the New York State Police.”
Wednesday’s crash was the second fatal wreck within 10 miles of State Route 17 this week. Early Monday morning, a car with four people drove off the road and into a ravine near exit 114 in Mamakating.
The driver of the car, identified as a 17-year-old man, was drunk at the time, according to police. A 17-year-old boy, Jack Braun, was killed in the wreckage, while the other three passengers received varying degrees of injuries. The driver was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular assault and DWI.