Skip to main content

2 hurt as vehicles on New York State Thruway hit by quarry blast debris

This has not a good week for high school band students traveling by bus to competitions. First, there was the accident outside of Philadelphia as referenced at http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2007/05/tour-bustractor-trailer-crash-closes-pa.html. On Friday, limestone from the nearby quarry owned by Albany, NY-based Callanan Industries, went wayward and pelted a charter bus with 52 people traveling down the New York Thruway near Amsterdam, NY. The bus was traveling from the northeastern Connecticut town of Grosvenordale to the bustling metropolis of Toronto (news reports on the radio that I heard mentioned Niagara Falls as opposed to Toronto).


Two girls were taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam for examination as a result of the 80 pound boulder that had struck the bus. One girl had injuries to her neck and back, and the other girl's injuries were not disclosed at this time. Another car was hit by another rock from the same quarry, and the driver of the car, Colin Seddon of Utica, NY, suffered abdominal injuries.


As a regular traveler of the New York Thruway between Albany and the Central and Western New York State hubs of Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, this does concern me. Not only do I have to worry about the regular conditions that affect driving (weather, speed, etc.), but apparently I now have to worry about flying debris coming from around the bend as well.


Story: 2 hurt as vehicles hit by quarry blast debris - Albany Times Union


I heard this story first by listening to the Joe Gallagher Show.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...

Three Points Road (Los Angeles County)

Three Points Road is a rural cutoff route which connects Pine Canyon Road (Los Angeles County Route N2) and California State Route 138 near Neenach of Antelope Valley.  Originally the community of Three Points (named for the junction Pine Canyon, Oakdale Canyon and Oakgrove Canyon) was served by 265th Avenue West.  The modern three-mile-long corridor of Three Points Road was developed by 1950 to serve as a softer transition to California State Route 138.  Part 1; the history of Three Points Road Three Points Road is named in reference to the community near the extinct Neenach Volcano known as Three Points.  Three Points itself is a reference to three canyons it sits in the middle of: Pine Canyon, Oakgrove Canyon and Oakdale Canyon.  Three Points was homesteaded by the Laffery family in 1892.  Nearby Gookins Lake was named after one of the Laffery family members.   Three Points (blue pin) can be seen at the intersection of Pine Canyon Road (now Los...

Hawaii Route 50

Hawaii Route 50 is the longest Sign Route on the island of Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The entirety of Hawaii Route 50 is overlaid atop Kaumualii Highway from Lihue west to the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands. Hawaii Route 50 is one of the original 1955-era State Highway designations on Kauai.  Much of the Kaumualii Highway corridor was constructed during the sugar plantation boom of the late Hawaiian Kingdom.  The first tee beam bridge in Hawaii would be constructed along the Kaumualii Highway in 1911 at the Hanapepe.  Much of this highway would be modernized to two-lane standards through the 1930s and 1940s. This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking  here .  Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 50 and Kaumualii Highway Hawaii Route 50 is the longest highway on Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The highway begins at Rice Str...