MADISON COUNTY, N.Y. — A trucker is facing charges from the state of New York under its Move-Over law.
The NYSP released a statement that it has charged a Little Falls man following an investigation into a tractor-trailer that struck a patrol vehicle on the New York State Thruway in Madison County.
According to police, at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, a trooper stopped his vehicle near mile marker 273 in Sullivan to remove an obstruction in the roadway. The patrol vehicle was in the right lane with emergency lights activated in order to safely remove the debris.
NYSP states that a 2022 Peterbilt truck with a dump trailer, operated by Seth J. Horender, 55, of Little Falls, approached the scene and attempted to go around the patrol vehicle by illegally passing onto the right shoulder. The truck struck the patrol vehicle but continued traveling eastbound on the Thruway until it was eventually located and stopped by troopers approximately 20 miles away.
The trooper saw the approaching truck and moved to the median to avoid injury.
The tractor trailer, registered to Longhorn Trucking Company of Fort Plain, N.Y., was moved to the Thruway Verona tandem lot for inspection by the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, where damage to the left trailer wheels and rims was identified. The patrol vehicle was towed off scene.
Police say troopers conducted field sobriety tests on Horender, which returned no indicators of impairment. He was charged with multiple vehicle and traffic law violations, including failure to avoid colliding with an emergency vehicle (Move Over Law). He was also cited for having an overweight vehicle.
Horender is due in Sullivan Town Court on April 21, 2026.
This is the second incident of a trooper being struck on the Thruway in less than two weeks.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
