A 38-year-old motorist struck and killed one pedestrian and critically injured another in the Town of Ulster early on the morning of Jan. 6.
The Saugerties’ motorist had apparently been driving his 2010 Subaru Legacy along an unlit portion of Ulster Avenue near the Route 199 overpass in the moments before the crash occurred. He pulled over and called police to report the incident just after 12:39 a.m.
Emergency crews who responded to the crash scene found the motorist there in the street with both of the critically wounded-pedestrians. Paramedics quickly collected the victims and placed them in awaiting ambulances.
One of them, a 26-year-old Connelly resident, was listed as being in serious condition after his admittance to Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. The other victim, a 36-year-old Slingerlands resident, was pronounced dead soon after their arrival at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston.
A spokesperson for the Ulster Police Department notes that they haven’t yet issued any citations or filed any charges against the motorist for their role in causing the fatal crash.
He notes that his department is continuing to investigate what occurred in the moments leading up to the crash. He notes that his investigators have preliminarily determined that the motorist likely was unable to see his victims because of the poor lighting along the stretch of roadway where they were struck.
You often hear that time of the essence when it comes to legal cases. One of the reasons that it’s critical to contact an attorney as soon as a motor vehicle crash occurs is to ensure that important evidence is preserved. An attorney who is brought into a case early on is better equipped to fight to protect your rights after a crash than one who has been contacted after evidence has been destroyed.