Distraction by Dog Cause of Head-On Crash in Garrison
A head-on car crash on U.S. Route 9 in Philipstown on Tuesday morning sent two drivers to the hospital and closed the highway for an hour, according to a statement released by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies reported that a driver’s distraction by a dog in his car was an apparent factor in the crash.
Robert White, aged 56, of Eastport in Suffolk County, was driving southbound on Route 9. He was accompanied in his car by a dog, a female pit bull terrier. According to a statement he made after the crash, White became distracted when the dog suddenly began vomiting and jumping about the passenger compartment. As White turned his attention to the animal, his car reportedly crossed over a double-yellow line and into the northbound lane of the highway.
White’s car slammed head-on into a northbound car being driven by Sameer Jain, aged 35, of Ossining. The impact demolished both vehicles and created a debris field strewn over 500 feet of roadway, and entrapped Mr. White in his car. The collision happened just south of the Route 9 intersection with Indian Brook Road.
A passing motorist called 911 to report the crash, and sheriff’s deputies and investigators were dispatched to the scene. Philipstown and Garrison Volunteer Ambulances responded, along with a TransCare Paramedic. Firefighters from the Garrison Volunteer Fire Department used the jaws-of-life to extricate White from his car.
White complained of abdominal pain after he was freed from his vehicle. He was relayed by the Garrison Ambulance to a make-shift landing zone nearby, from where he was airlifted by a StatFlite helicopter to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
Jain displayed what appeared to be only minor injuries and was taken by the Philipstown Ambulance to Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt. Both drivers were reportedly wearing seat belts and airbags deployed in both cars. Further information about the drivers’ conditions is not available.
The dog in White’s car was reportedly uninjured in the accident. It was turned over to the Philipstown Animal Control Officer for temporary safe-keeping, and an acquaintance of White recovered the dog from the officer a few hours later.
No summonses were issued at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
