Early Sunday morning, the quiet hours before dawn turned tragic on Interstate 787. At approximately 4:39 a.m., a head-on crash near Exit 2 left one man dead and another hospitalized, after a car traveling the wrong way slammed into a northbound vehicle.
State Police have since confirmed the identity of the deceased: Eric J. Hurley, age 38, of Albany. He was driving north on I-787 when his vehicle was struck head-on by a vehicle entering the northbound lane from the southbound side. Despite the rapid arrival of emergency crews, Hurley was pronounced dead at the scene.
The wrong-way driver is now known: Lewis Thomas, 44, of Coxsackie. He was transported to Albany Medical Center with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening. No charges have been filed yet, and police say the investigation remains active.
Authorities are working to reconstruct exactly how this collision unfolded. The northbound lanes between I-87 and Exit 3 were closed so troopers could examine the crash scene, gather camera footage, inspect road markings, and interview any witnesses. The question remains: How did Thomas end up going the wrong way? Investigators are looking into possibilities like impaired driving, confusion, or even mechanical failure.
This wreck came on the same morning that another crash occurred on I-787 near Exit 5, where a single car left the roadway and plunged down an embankment, killing two passengers. The driver of that vehicle, a 25-year-old woman from Albany named Imahjai Sutherland, has since been charged with multiple counts including vehicular homicide, manslaughter, and DWI. Albany County District Attorney Lee Kindlon has publicly suggested alcohol may have been a factor in both tragic incidents.
Locals say wrong-way crashes on I-787 are rare, but when they do happen, the consequences are almost always severe due to the high speeds involved. The force of a head-on collision leaves little room for survival.
State Police continue to appeal for help: anyone who saw a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction, or witnessed either crash, is asked to reach out to Troop G. As investigators piece together the final moments before impact, the community mourns a life lost and questions how a split-second error turned fatal.