Thruway crash claims driver's life

NEWSTEAD, N.Y. (WIVB) - The westbound Thruway has been re-opened following a rollover crash in Pembroke that killed one person.  The accident shut down a part of the Thruway for almost three hours, Wednesday night.

State Police say a tractor-trailer driving westbound, carrying melted-down aluminum, hit a cargo van around 10:30 p.m., causing both vehicles to go off the road and roll over.  The driver of the cargo van was killed, while the tractor trailer driver was taken to ECMC with non-life threatening injuries.

The official cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but witnesses say they saw the van appear to lose control and the tractor trailer swerve to avoid it.

Police are not releasing names of either person involved pending notification of their families. State Police are investigating the cause of the crash and interviewing the driver of the tractor trailer.  They have not yet said if any charges will be filed or not.