Chain Reaction Collisions at Border Patrol Checkpoint on I 87 Near North Hudson New York
 

North Hudson Accident 1: Personnel from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), were conducting an immigration checkpoint on I-87 near North Hudson, New York, about 74 miles south of the Canadian border. Checkpoint operations required vehicles in both southbound traffic lanes to stop for an inspection and a brief driver interview. As a result, traffic became congested on I-87 southbound and had backed up approximately 900 feet north of the checkpoint. Two passenger vehicles followed by a Kenworth combination unit were stopped at the end of the queue in the right lane. Meanwhile, a 1998 Prevost motorcoach carrying 47 passengers was approaching the area of congested traffic at a recorded speed of 64 mph in the posted 65-mph zone. The motorcoach had departed earlier that day on a planned 2-day trip from St. Leonard d’Aston, Quebec, to Miami, Florida. The operator, a Canadian national with 15 years of driving experience, held a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL) and began driving that morning at 8:15 a.m. The roadway was dry and clear, and, despite an overcast sky, visibility was good. The bus driver stated that when he first saw the rear of the Kenworth tractor-semitrailer, he thought that he was slowly catching up to it. He said he then momentarily looked in his rear view mirrors and, upon looking ahead, saw that he was rapidly advancing on the trailer. He said that he did not see any brake lights on the back of the trailer. Once he realized the trailer was not moving, the bus driver made a hard brake application to avoid colliding with the stopped combination unit. After skidding for 123 feet, the driver said he could not slow his vehicle in time to avoid the collision and swerved to the left as the motorcoach struck the rear of the Kenworth tractor-semitrailer. From  the  impact  area,  the  Kenworth  tractor-semitrailer  was  pushed  forward  about 120 feet, striking the rear of a 2003 Chevrolet sport utility vehicle and pushing it into the rear of a 1992 Chevrolet passenger car.

Eight motorcoach passengers sustained serious injuries. The driver and 38 passengers sustained minor injuries while one passenger was not injured. The driver of the combination vehicle was not injured. Of the seven occupants in the two passenger vehicles, six sustained minor injuries and one was not injured.

North Hudson Accident 2: Personnel from the USBP were again conducting an immigration checkpoint on I-87 near North Hudson, New York, about 74 miles south of the Canadian border. Checkpoint operations required vehicles in both southbound traffic lanes to stop for an inspection and a brief driver interview. As a result, traffic became congested on I-87 southbound and had backed up approximately 807 feet north of the checkpoint. A 1994 Peterbilt combination unit and three passenger vehicles were stopped at the end of the queue in the right lane. A 2004 Peterbilt truck-tractor, in combination with a 40-foot container chassis semitrailer, loaded with aluminum wire and operated by a 48-year-old truck driver, was approaching the checkpoint at a recorded speed of 59 mph in the posted 65-mph zone. The truck driver, a Canadian national, had departed Boucherville, Quebec, about 11:30 a.m. and had driven about 135 miles of an approximate 560-mile trip to York, Pennsylvania. He drove this trip twice a week using this same route on I-87 through northern New York. Reaching the queue of stopped vehicles at the checkpoint, the combination unit failed to stop and collided with a 1990 Honda passenger car. The Honda was pushed underneath a 1999 GMC pickup truck. The pickup truck was pushed off to the right, traveling about 100 feet, where it came to rest facing northbound off the west side of the interstate. The Honda continued forward and to the right, coming to rest approximately 94 feet from the impact area. The 2004 Peterbilt truck-tractor continued forward and collided with a 1994 GMC pickup truck that was towing a 29-foot Nomad camper trailer. The 1994 GMC pickup truck was pushed forward approximately 100 feet and came to rest at the right side of the 2004 Peterbilt truck-tractor. The 2004 Peterbilt combination unit that initiated the accident sequence traveled approximately 173 feet from the initial impact with the traffic queue to where it stopped in the roadway against the back of a 1994 Peterbilt combination unit. A postaccident fire burned the 1990 Honda, the 1994 GMC pickup truck and camper trailer, and the accident vehicle.

The occupants of the Honda were fatally injured; the driver of the 1994 GMC pickup truck was fatally injured. A passenger in the 1994 GMC pickup truck, the driver of the 1999 GMC pickup truck, and the driver of the 2004 Peterbilt truck-tractor all sustained serious injuries. The driver of the 1994 Peterbilt combination unit was not injured.