A tow truck operator was injured in a hit-and-run accident while walking on the shoulder of I-87 near Exit 21 in the town of Athens on Thursday night, leaving him injured. Police are looking for the driver who left the scene.
The accident occurred around 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, when 21-year-old John Hanzl of Palenville, an employee of Gallagher's Garage in Catskill, was responding to a disabled vehicle on the southbound shoulder of I-87. While walking toward the vehicle, Hanzl was hit by a black pickup truck. He was transported to Albany Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Police described the vehicle that struck Hanzl as an older black Toyota Tundra pickup, possibly a 1990s model, with a dented and rusted back end, and possibly a broken taillight.
State troopers are asking for anyone with information about the incident to contact Troop T at 1-800-842-2233.
