State Police investigate fatal crash in the Town of Stanford

Stanford, New York – On February 12, 2017 at approximately 5:07 p.m., New York State Police from the Poughkeepsie barracks were dispatched by Dutchess County 911 to respond to a vehicle in a stream on Bullshead Road in the area of Depot Lane.

Troopers arrived on scene and observed a vehicle on its roof and partially submerged in the Wappinger Creek.  Responding officers and volunteer firemen from the Stanford Fire Department entered the water and attempted to remove the driver from the vehicle.  With the assistance of first responders and tow truck operators, the driver was extricated from the vehicle and immediately transported to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital by Stanford Ambulance.

The driver of the vehicle, Lynette Ruffin, age 27, of Stanford, New York, was pronounced deceased at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital.

The investigation indicated that Ruffin was traveling eastbound on Bulls Head Road when her vehicle exited the roadway and struck the bridge’s guide rail. The vehicle slid along the railing and fell into the creek.

Northern Dutchess Paramedics also responded to the scene to evaluated first responders.