6 men killed in crash remembered by survivor, employer

WEEDSPORT, New York (WWNY) - A memorial service was held Wednesday for the 6 men killed in Saturday’s head-on crash in St. Lawrence County. 7 News spoke with a survivor of the crash as well as the man who leads the company they were working for.

Baltasar was inside the LBFNY bus Saturday when it was hit by a box truck that crossed over the center line on State Route 37 in the town of Louisville.

Baltasar survived, but 6 of his co-workers, or “brothers” as he calls them, did not.

“It’s sad. No matter who it is. When it’s a human life, you can’t help but feel nostalgic,” he said through a translator.

On Wednesday, Baltasar and others came to St. Joseph’s Church in Weedsport in Cayuga County for a memorial mass for the men, who were from Mexico.

He says working far away from their home country is hard enough.

“Especially being far away from home, we come here because of the lack of employment in our native country,” he said.

Baltasar says the crash is a blur.

“I went to go look for my co-workers to try and help them but it all happened so fast. It doesn’t give you any time to think,” he said.

Jim Begley, the president of LBFNY in Weedsport, says the men were on their way to work on a solar project near Madrid.

“They work as many days as they can in order to provide for their families back home in Mexico, which is why all these men are here,” he said.

The men will be buried in Mexico. Begley says LBFNY will cover those expenses.

As for the crash itself, the National Transportation Safety Board has started its investigation and it’ll take 12 to 18 months for the results to be reported.

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