Press release
Sheriff Gregory Rudolph reports: On February 25, 2020 at 4:13 p.m., the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division received a 911 call of a car versus tractor-trailer crash on Route 39 at the East Lake Road intersection in the Town of Castile.
Sheriff’s Deputy, Sergeant Aaron Chase, arrived within minutes. The owner/operator of the car was deceased on arrival and has been identified as Renee Morris, age 38, of Portageville. She was traveling with two of her children who were rear seat passengers. A 10 year old was taken by the Castile Ambulance to WCCHS and was later transferred to Strong Memorial Hospital for minor injuries and was later discharged. An 11 year old was taken by Perry Ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital for head trauma and is still a patient there. The driver of the tractor-trailer was identified as Stephen Reed of New London, CT and he was not injured.
The Sheriff’s Office Crash Management Team is still investigating the crash, though, some details are known. The tractor-trailer was eastbound on East Lake Road and stopped at the Route 39 intersection. He then proceeded into the intersection, turning left (north) as Renee Morris’ car was southbound on Route 39 and her car struck the rear axle area of the trailer portion of the tractor-trailer in a “right angle” type collision. Mr. Reed was cited with Failure to Yield the Right of Way at a Stop Sign; however, the weather conditions were a contributing factor as a dense fog covered the area. The Crash Management Team will further evaluate crash data and evidence in the days to come.
Assisting at the scene: Perry Police Department, Wyoming County Coroner Michael Smith, Perry Ambulance, Castile Fire Department, Monroe Ambulance, Perry Fire Department, Gainesville Fire Department, Pike Fire Department, Silver Springs Fire Department, Wyoming County Emergency Management and the NYSP- Commercial Vehicle Unit.
Sheriff’s Office First Responders & Crash Management Team: Captain Ed Till, Investigator Brad McGinnis, Sergeant Aaron Chase, Sergeant Chris Bryant, Deputy Dan Kemp, Deputy Austin Harding, Deputy John Button and Deputy Bill Asquith.