LOUISVILLE — A crash between a Freightliner box truck and a bus resulted in six fatalities Saturday morning at about 6 a.m. on Route 37 near Coles Creek in St. Lawrence County, according to police sources.
State police in an afternoon update said another person is in critical condition and two more people were seriously injured.
St. Lawrence County Undersheriff Sean P. O’Brien said that sheriff’s deputies were called to assist at the scene and described the situation as “chaotic.”
State police reported that Route 37 from County Route 14 to Coles Creek Road will be closed until further notice. As of 1:30 p.m. Saturday, the road was still closed.
St. Lawrence County coroner Jamie Sienkiewycz deferred all questions to New York State Police.
“It’s a tragedy,” he said.
Multiple fire and rescue teams were called, including Louisville, Waddington, Norfolk, Madrid, Massena and Seaway Valley, according to state police.
Victims were taken to Massena Hospital, Canton-Potsdam Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg.
“We have received transports of patients receiving trauma care this morning. We are not sharing patient status updates at this time,” a spokesperson for St. Lawrence Health said in a text message. St. Lawrence Health operates Canton-Potsdam Hospital and Massena Memorial.
The St. Lawrence County Medical Examiner’s Officer also responded to the scene.
Waddington Mayor Michael J. Zagrobelny asked his Facebook followers to keep the families of the victims and the first responders in their thoughts.
“I’m thankful for all of the first responders, dispatchers, and medical/hospital staff dealing with this tragedy,” he said in a message to the Times. “I have been told that there are plans in place to provide counseling and debriefing services for all involved. I presume that many of the responders have never seen an incident like this, and their mental health and the welfare of the crash victims and families are foremost in my concerns.”
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