SHERIFF’S OFFICE INVESTIGATES OVERTURNED MILK TANKER
Chatham, NY- Columbia County Sheriff David P. Bartlett reports that at about 5:49pm today, Columbia County 911 dispatched Sheriff’s Deputies to an overturned milk tanker on Rock City Road, just east of Phelps Road, in the Town of Chatham.
Deputies found that a 2012 Peterbuilt tractor and milk tanker trailer, operated by 37 year old Ronnie Hare from Hyde Park New York, was traveling in an easterly direction on Rock City Road. The tractor was going up an incline in the roadway and started to roll backwards. The driver jumped from the truck and the tanker trailer went off the roadway, down an embankment causing the trailer to break free from the tractor and overturn. The operator complained of a knee injury but declined transport to the hospital.
The tractor trailer is registered to Staats Transportation, Inc from Red Hook New York and the tanker trailer was completely filled with milk from several local area farms. The milk has been leaking out since the time of the accident. Rock City Road is still closed.
The accident is still under investigation.
Chatham Rescue Squad, Tri-Village Fire Department, Columbia County Haz-Mat Team, NYS DEC Spill Response Unit, and New York State Police assisted at the scene.
Investigating for the Sheriff’s Office are Sergeant Jeffrey Hofstetter, Deputy Eric Ordway, Deputy Jordan Brahm, and Deputy Brandon Rice.