Sheriff’s Office Investigates Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision

At approximately 8:30am, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Beekman Fire Department and EMStar ambulance responded to a 911 call reporting a motor vehicle collision with entrapment on Route 55 between Route 216 and Gardner Hollow Road Extension in the Town of Beekman.

Initial investigation reveals that the operator of a Honda Pilot traveling westbound on Route 55 crossed into the eastbound lane of Route 55 and collided head-on with a Chevy Express van.

The operator of the Honda Pilot, an 18-year-old male from Pawling, N.Y., was injured and transported to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital by EMStar Ambulance.

The operator of the Chevy Express van, a 50-year-old male from Pleasant Valley, N.Y., was killed in the collision. One passenger in the van, a 22-year-old male from Pleasant Valley, N.Y., was injured and transported to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital by EMStar Ambulance. The other male passenger in the van sustained critical injuries and was flown to Westchester Medical Center by LifeNet Medivac helicopter.

Route 55 was shut down for approximately four hours but is now reopened. Due to the ongoing investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Unit, names are not being released.

Multiple agencies responded and assisted at the scene including Beekman, Pawling and Union Vale Fire Departments, EMStar Ambulance, LifeNet Medivac, Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office and New York State Police.