Rt. 209 crash sends 2 drivers to hospital

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. >> Two people were taken to a hospital after a four-vehicle, chainreaction crash on U.S. Route 209, town police said Thursday.

Police said officers responded to the crash at 4:52 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, on Route 209 near U.S. Route 9W. When they arrived, officers found four vehicles involved and multiple occupants injured, police said.

The investigation showed all four vehicles were southbound on Route 209 and that as traffic began to slow, Michael Obrien of Catskill did not see the vehicles in front of his coming to a stop. Obrien’s vehicle struck the one in front of him, which was being driven by Toni Wynkoop of Port Ewen, police said.

Police said the impact forced Wynkoop’s vehicle into a vehicle driven by Michael Curtis of Shokan, and that Curtis’ vehicle then struck one driven by Erwin Liu of Kingston.

Police said Wynkoop had to be freed from her vehicle by members of the Ulster Hose Fire Department. Both she and Curtis were taken by Mobile Life to HealthAlliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus in Kingston with injuries that were not lifethreatening, police said. Police said Obrien refused medical attention for minor injuries and Liu was not injured.

Obrien was ticketed for the misdemeanor of aggravated unlicensed driving and the infraction of following too closely, police said. He was released with tickets to appear in Ulster Town Court.

Route 209 between Enterprise Drive and Route 9W was closed for about an hour following the crash, police said.