Six people were killed last week in a tragic accident that occurred upstate on Route 11 near Fort Drum Army post. A truck driver plowed into the back of a line of cars who were waiting for a paving project on the highway.

According to the Washington Post, the police report that truck driver James A. Mills, 45, was alert at the time of the accident and just failed to notice the construction signs and the stopped vehicles. Mills reportedly tried to brake before the accident and “didn’t appear to be impaired or distracted,” according to state police.

Investigator Rick Hathaway reported that there were no text messages or calls immediately before the accident. He also said that Mills was cooperative and helped to pull a victim from their car before it caught fire.

Mills crashed into an SUV that burst into flames on impact. A family of four within the SUV died at the scene. The tractor trailer accident ultimately involved six cars as the SUV was pushed forward in the line of stopped vehicles. One additional victim died later at the hospital. Continue reading →