MOIRA — New York State Police are investigating a crash that took place during the Moira town-wide yard sale along County Route 95 in Moira, with the driver of one car failing field sobriety tests.
According to state police, at approximately 11:48 a.m. Saturday, troopers responded to State Route 95 in the town of Moira for a two-vehicle motor vehicle collision.
State police said an investigation determined that a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox, operated by Terry L. French, 75, of Massena, was traveling southbound on Route 95 when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a mailbox then an unoccupied parked green 2024 Toyota RAV4.
Upon arrival, troopers observed French being medically evaluated by members of the Moira Fire Department and EMS personnel, state police said, and while retrieving French’s driver’s license from inside the vehicle at his request, troopers observed smoking devices containing burnt residue in plain view inside the vehicle.
French was transported to Alice Hyde Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to state police, and while at the hospital, troopers administered standardized field sobriety tests, which he failed. French also provided a blood sample to determine drug and/or alcohol content, police said.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said, and as off press time, there was no report of any charges being filed against French.
A CLOSE CALL
The accident happened right in front of an active yard sale, and it was a close call for two women who had stopped at the sale and were eyewitnesses to the crash.
One of the young ladies was visibly shaken and said they had just pulled up to the sale and were walking along the road after parking. She said they were narrowly hit by the vehicle, which had apparently sped up just before the crash.
“We were just about ten feet away,” she told the Telegram, adding she was fortunate. “It’s was scary.”
The RAV4 involved in the accident was unoccupied at the time of the crash as its driver was also at the sale.
“It’s a good thing no one was in that car,” the woman who was almost hit said.
Meanwhile, the homeowners whose sale it was were sitting in front of their garage at the time, said the loud bang from the crash gave them quite the scare. They also said they now need to get a new mailbox, but didn’t lament not having a receptacle for their mail.
“It’s all bills anyway,” one of them said.