by Bea Peterson
A fatal accident on Route 7 near the Hoosick-Pittstown line closed the road from 8:30 Wednesday morning, October 29, until two o’clock in the afternoon while the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department investigated the cause of the crash. According to Sgt. Shane Holcomb of the Sheriff’s Department, Brian McGovern of Schaghticoke, NY, was eastbound in his Suzuki automobile when he crossed over the center line into oncoming traffic. His vehicle was struck by a tractor trailer, an empty fuel tanker from Abenqual Carriers out of New Hampshire. The tanker was on its way to the Port of Albany.
McGovern was declared dead at the scene. An autopsy will be performed Thursday at Albany Medical Center. The driver of the tanker complained of minor injuries but refused medical treatment. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The Sheriff’s Department was assisted by the North Greenbush Police Department and their accident reconstruction equipment. Fire fighters from Pittstown and Center Brunswick assisted in closing off Route 7 at the intersection of 7 and County Road 278 and fire fighters from Hoosick and Hoosick Falls closed off traffic at the Route 7 and Route 22 intersection.
Only people with business in the immediate area were allowed to drive the roadway. All media was prohibited from the scene for several hours. It appears the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department policy regarding fatal accidents is to detour traffic around the roadway and to keep all traffic on the accident route to a bare minimum until a complete investigation into the cause of the crash is determined.