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Orange County Woman In Critical Condition After SUV Collides With Backhoe

SLOATSBURG, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) - An Orange County woman is in critical condition after her sport utility vehicle collided with a backhoe.

The Journal News reports the accident happened at 5:30 p.m. Friday on Route 17 in Sloatsburg.

Police say 44-year-old Melissa Fierman, of Tuxedo, was driving a Volkswagen SUV when she rear-ended a backhoe.

A part of the backhoe's bucket pierced the driver's-side windshield.

Fierman was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern with serious head injuries. She was later transferred Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where officials said she was in critical condition.

Route 17 was closed to southbound traffic after the crash. By 7 p.m., police had opened one lane in each direction.

The accident is under investigation. Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright called the crash a "terrible" incident.

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