Tractor Trailer Loses Brakes, Plows Through Barn in Wild Oriskany Falls Crash
Here's something you don't see every day. A tractor-trailer crashed into a barn in Oriskany Falls and the driver was lucky enough to walk away.
Karl Whitehead, a truck driver from Memphis, Tennessee, was heading into Oriskany Falls on Route 26 when he lost his brakes coming down the long hill into the village. The brakes heated up quickly when Whitehead tried to slow for the 90 degrees left turn at the bottom of the hill, according to the Oneida County Sheriff's Department. Whitehead lost control of the rig while trying to make the left turn. It plowed into a large barn at the intersection of Route 26 and South Main Street.
Luckily, Whitehead was able to climb out of the wreckage on his own with only a minor cut on his face. Neighbors who saw and heard the crash rushed to the scene to help until emergency crews arrived.
"Lived here my whole life and never saw anything like this," Jolee Hodge said. "The barn was actually transformed into living quarters some time ago. The owner was waiting to get water connected and could not live there yet because there was no water, thank goodness."
Cathryn Sommers says she hasn't seen anything like it either and worries about other drivers. "There needs to be a sign warning truck drivers of a sharp curve ahead."
Robert K. Pieters-Hayduke says he's surprised something like this doesn’t happen more often.
Whitehead was issued a summons for inadequate brakes.
Route 26 and South Main Street in the Village of Oriskany Falls is shut down until further notice, according to the Oneida County Sheriff's Department.