Volunteers spend hours clearing scene of fatal crash

TOWN OF CHAMPION, New York (WWNY) - In the wake of Thursday night’s fatal crash, West Carthage firefighters spent hours cleaning up the scene on Friday.

Twelve hours after a pickup truck went off the road and struck several trees, volunteers were busy removing parts of the wreckage. They were seen carrying mangled engine parts, a twisted door, and a shattered windshield.

“We had a serious situation with a motor vehicle accident. We had two patients seriously entrapped. Had a long extrication. One patient was flown to Upstate Medical. Unfortunately, the other one did not survive,” said West Carthage Fire Chief Peter Crump.

State police say 56-year-old Donald Gerber was a passenger in a pickup truck that eyewitnesses said went off State Route 26 in the town of Champion at a high rate of speed around 9:45 p.m. Thursday and crashed into several trees.

Gerber was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the truck, 54-year-old Peter Schroy, was extricated from the truck by the West Carthage Fire Department and was airlifted to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The pickup was found 15 yards off the highway.

“Where the vehicle was - came to rest after its accident, the time of night, the darkness, the location, traffic, all those factors play into a situation like that, that make it a struggle sometimes,” said Crump.

It took more than 30 minutes to get Schroy out of the truck.

“Due to the nature of the accident and the events that unfolded, it was a little larger than what a normal car accident would be,” said Crump.

Route 26 between Harper Road and Cole Road, near Carthage High School, remained closed for several hours while crews worked until 5 a.m. Friday at the scene.

State police and the West Carthage fire department had help from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office, the Great Bend Fire Department, Carthage Area Rescue Squad, and Guilfoyle Ambulance.

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