By DIANE VALDEN
KINDERHOOK—A Kinderhook man was killed in a one-car accident on County Route 28, March 4 at 10:03 a.m.
Columbia County 911 dispatched Niverville firefighters, Valatie Rescue and State Police to the scene.
An investigation determined that a vehicle being driven by David Smith, 76, of Valatie was traveling eastbound on Route 28 when his vehicle veered onto the shoulder and struck a garbage can. The vehicle continued off the roadway, hitting a snowbank, became airborne, and then struck a tree, before going up an embankment and back onto the roadway.
Mr. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not yet known what caused him to drive off the road, according to State Police Executive Director of Public Information Beau Duffy.
An obituary for Mr. Smith appears on page B4 of this issue.
Copake Falls
State Police arrested two individuals for endangering the welfare of a person with developmental disabilities.
State Police arrested Nellie McCaul, 43, of Copake Falls and Brandy Shook, 36, of Hudson, for endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, March 4.
An investigation that began in connection with an incident that occurred July 5, 2024, determined that Ms. Shook and Ms. McCaul allegedly instructed and watched four juveniles physically assault an adult victim with developmental disabilities.
Ms. Shook and Ms. McCaul were arraigned in the City of Hudson Court March 4 and are due back in Copake Town Court March 24.
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com
Motorists warned of drowsy driving risk as daylight saving time begins
GHENT—The New York State Partnership Against Drowsy Driving (NYPDD) warns of the dangers of drowsy driving with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time March 9. The partnership is promoting a “Stay Awake! Stay Alive!” message before and after the time change as a reminder that drivers should be alert.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 24 hours without sleep has similar effects on driving ability as having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10%. GHSA also estimates that drowsy driving is a contributing factor in 328,000 crashes nationwide annually, and more than half of them involve drivers 25 years old and younger.
Last year, 3,876 police-reported crashes in New York State involved “fatigue/drowsy driving” and/or “driver fell asleep” as contributing factors, according to preliminary statistics from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR). Of the reported crashes, 9 involved at least 1 fatality and 1,423 involved at least one injury.
“Drowsy or fatigued driving poses a serious risk to everyone on the road. Besides impaired judgment and slower reaction time, drivers may also experience something called micro-sleep, or short, involuntary periods of inattention. The National Safety Council estimates that at highway speed, a vehicle will travel the length of a football field in four or five seconds, so a few seconds of inattention can lead to tragic results,” Mark J.F. Schroeder, NYS Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) commissioner and chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) said in a press release.
Since young drivers, ages 18-29, have the highest likelihood to drive while drowsy (71%) compared to other age groups, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), the Partnership has focused its outreach efforts on college campuses statewide. The partnership has also targeted counties where statewide crash data reflect a higher incidence of crashes in which the driver fell asleep or drowsiness or fatigue was reported as a contributing factor.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) has been conducting a social media campaign targeting college students. This year, DOH is kicking off a second social media campaign focusing on commercial vehicle drivers, who also have an outsize risk of driving while drowsy. Other groups at high risk of driving while drowsy include people who work long hours or late-night shifts; people with sleep disorders; and new parents or caregivers of infants and young children.
Sleepiness can slow a driver’s reaction time, impair vision and judgment, and delay the processing of information, increasing the odds of a crash. Drivers should get adequate sleep before driving, take a break about every 100 miles or every two hours, and bring a passenger to help keep them awake and share the driving. Do not drink alcohol before driving, and always be aware of the potential side effects of any medications.
Common strategies to avoid drowsiness, such as opening a window, turning on air conditioning or playing loud music should not be relied upon to overcome fatigue. The safest thing to do when experiencing drowsiness while driving is to pull over and find a safe place to sleep.
For more information about the dangers of drowsy driving and strategies to avoid it, visit the GTSC’s Drowsy Driving Awareness webpage; the Stony Brook University School of Health Profession’s educational and interactive website, StopDrowsyDriving.org; the National Sleep Foundation’s Facts About Drowsy Driving, DOH’s website; and NHTSA’s research on drowsy driving.
EnCon officers, forest rangers welcome new acting DEC commissioner
ALBANY—The PBA of New York State, the union representing New York State Environmental Conservation Officers and Forest Rangers, welcomes Department of Environmental
Conservation Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton to her new role as New York State’s chief environmental steward. Acting Commissioner Lefton replaces former Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar who returns to his previous role as executive deputy commissioner for the agency.
In a press release, Matthew Krug, PBA of New York State vice president, said, “We welcome Acting Commissioner Lefton’s
leadership at the Department of Environmental Conservation, an agency that under previous management lost its focus on protecting our state’s unparalleled natural resources. For too long our state’s environmental conservation officers and forest rangers have been unsupported in their mission by agency leadership. With the growing threat of climate change, and the exponential increase in severe weather events that threaten lives and property, it is more important than ever that we focus on recruiting, retaining, training, and equipping those that stand between the public and danger. We look forward to working with Acting Commissioner Lefton to undo the damage done to environmental enforcement by the agency through years of understaffing and misprioritization.”
Acting Director Lefton’s vast experience in environmental protection, particularly combating the devastating effects of climate change and severe weather events, is needed by an agency that has spent too much time focusing on window dressing and not enough time on carrying out the agency’s foundational mission – to protect and improve New York’s environment and natural resources.
AG offers tips to ID and avoid Social Security scams
NEW YORK CITY—State Attorney General Letitia James recently joined the Social Security Administration (SSA) in recognizing National Slam the Scam Day in March by warning consumers to stay vigilant against Social Security-related scams. Social Security recipients are particularly vulnerable to frauds and scams, and bad actors use a variety of tactics to deceive victims into providing sensitive information, like Social Security and bank account numbers. Attorney General James encourages any New Yorker who believes they may be a victim of a scam to file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) online or by phone at 800-771-7755.
“Taking advantage of vulnerable seniors to steal their hard-earned Social Security is downright cruel. On National Slam the Scam Day, I urge everyone to stay informed, recognize the warning signs, and take steps to protect themselves. If you receive an unexpected call, email, or message asking for your Social Security or banking information, hang up, report it, and slam the scam,” Attorney General James said in a press release.
Common tactics scammers targeting Social Security recipients use include:
*Posing as SSA officials—They may claim that your Social Security number has been suspended due to suspicious activity or that you must confirm personal details (Social Security number, bank account, or birthdate) to avoid arrest or benefits loss. They may also claim that you need to pay a fee via a wire transfer, prepaid gift card, or cryptocurrency.
*Promising a prize—They may claim that you have won a foreign lottery, random drawing, or “millionth customer” prize but require you to pay upfront fees or taxes or provide banking details.
*Pretend to be a distressed relative and urgently asking for money to get out of trouble or cover hospital bills; and pressure you to act immediately or pay in a specific way.
The OAG offers the following tips to protect yourself from fraudulent individuals and organizations:
*Verify unexpected requests. If a “relative” asks for money, call them back using a known number
*Do not always trust that a phone number with a caller ID is reputable. Scammers will spoof numbers to appear local or official
*Be cautious with wire transfers and gift cards. Scammers prefer these because they are hard to trace. The IRS and SSA do not accept gift cards. Beware of anyone asking you to pay a government agency using gift cards
*Typically, the SSA does not make phone calls. Beware of callers claiming to be from the SSA
*If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang up, do not respond, and do not provide any personal information
*Report any suspected scams immediately. To report a scam, file an online complaint with OAG’s Bureau of Consumer Frauds.
