7 Killed as Truck, Minivan Collide in Upstate NY

Seven people, including children, were killed when a tractor-trailer collided with a minivan on a rural two-lane highway in upstate New York, officials said yesterday. The rig was headed south around 6pm on Route 13 about 25 miles south of Syracuse when the trailer became disconnected and crossed the center line, hitting a minivan carrying eight people, according to a rep for the Cortland County Sheriff's Department. The force of the impact ripped the minivan apart, and both vehicles came to rest on the shoulder of the roadway.

Officials have not released the identities of those killed, but all of them were passengers in the minivan. Two people in the truck were not injured, the sheriff's rep said. Officials did not say what caused the accident. The National Weather Service in Binghamton reported thunderstorms and steady showers—including hail—in the Truxton area yesterday evening. County Coroner Whitney Meeker said there was one survivor who was taken to a hospital in Syracuse. Meeker said it will probably take the next two days to complete autopsies. (More trucks stories.)