Margarine Truck Driver In Hutchinson River Parkway Crash Ticketed
RYE BROOK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Florida trucker faces several traffic summonses after police said he crashed into an overpass on the Hutchinson River Parkway.
Police said Ishad Knight of Miami disregarded signs and hit the overpass Tuesday at Exit 27 near King Street in Rye Brook on the New York-Connecticut state line.
The truck, carrying liquefied margarine, caught fire, covering the roadway with margarine and delaying commuters for hours. Knight was not injured.
Westchester County police said Knight's Florida license was invalid and he also was ticketed for disobeying signs and other charges.
Police also said Knight not using a commercial GPS that would have steered him off the parkway where trucks are banned.
"He told us he relied on Google maps on his cellphone. What he should be using was a commercial-grade GPS,'' said Westchester County Police spokesman Kieran O'Leary.
O'Leary said Westchester County will seek repayment of police overtime and towing companies and cleanup businesses also are expected to bill the trucking company.
"I don't know," Knight said at the time of the crash. "It's just like an honest mistake."
Trucks striking parkway overpasses, particularly at the King Street bridge, has been a major problem in Westchester County in recent years.
The number of crashes has been cut drastically since large warnings were painted on the pavement, but occasionally out-of-state truckers following GPS still stray and get stuck.
The state Department of Transportation is testing an electronic detection system along the Hutchinson River Parkway. The system uses an infrared beam to detect tall trucks and trigger an electronic warning signal.
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