Ulster County sheriff Paul Van Blarcum is recovering in Kingston Hospital after a bizarre accident on Monday afternoon, in which a car veered off the road, crashed into Van Blarcum's parked truck, and shoved the truck onto the sheriff.
The accident occurred in a field near the intersection of Route 9W and Mike Kraut Road in Saugerties, which Van Blarcum was mowing. According to a statement from Saugerties police, the car that struck Van Blarcum's truck was a 2012 Honda FIT driven by 60-year-old Robert Michaue of Saugerties.
Van Blarcum was standing near his truck at the time of the accident, and was thrown to the ground with injuries. Both Michaue and his passenger, 60-year-old Katharine Grapes, also received non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. All three were taken to Kingston Hospital.
The Daily Freeman reports that Van Blarcum lost several teeth in the crash, and suffered a concussion, but had no broken bones. The sheriff was still in the hospital in stable condition on Wednesday.
Undersheriff Frank Faluotico passed on a message from Van Blarcum to the Times Herald-Record:
“The Sheriff appreciates all the calls and concern people have made,” Faluotico said. “But what he needs most of all right now is rest.”
Saugerties police are investigating the accident to find out why Michaue's car left the road. The Saugerties Police Department was assisted at the scene by the New York State Police, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Diaz Ambulance and the Malden West Camp Fire Department.
