December 30, 2024
FROM THE CHEMUNG COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPT: On December 27 at about 7:07 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to I-86 in the Town of Big Flats, eastbound lane near the Steuben County line to investigate a single-vehicle motor vehicle crash with unknown injuries. Upon arrival, deputies began to conduct their investigation and determined the accident to be one vehicle with one occupant who had sustained a head injury. The driver was later transported to Corning Hospital for treatment and released. Due to poor lighting and location of the accident, more deputies responded to add additional visibility to insure a safe scene. Sheriff’s Deputy, Kaitlyn Fletcher, was parked at the rear of the accident scene and stopped partially on the shoulder of the roadway and the driving lane and had her directional signal activated to instruct all approaching traffic to move over to the passing lane. As Deputy Fletcher was preparing to exit her patrol vehicle, a semi-tractor trailer truck, and hauling milk, approached the accident scene but failed to move over. Because of this, the tractor trailer struck the driver side rear of the patrol vehicle sending the patrol vehicle off the south shoulder of the roadway and down the embankment causing extensive damage to both the patrol vehicle and the front of the tractor trailer.
Deputy Fletcher was transported to Corning Hospital and treated for minor injuries and later released. The driver of the tractor trailer was uninjured. The NYSP was requested to conduct the investigation and did issue traffic tickets to the tractor trailer driver for Failure to Yield for an Emergency Vehicle and other violations.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the New York State Police, Erway ambulance, Big Flats FD, Tompkins Corners FD, Golden Glow Vol. FD, Corning FD, Elmira FD as well as NYS DEC. We would like to remind all drivers of the Move Over Law and the importance of adhering to them.
