Trucker ticketed for brake defect following crash into creek

New York police have cited a truck driver who lost control and wound up in a creek in New Hartford last month.

The incident occurred on May 24 as 39 year old truck driver Frederick Swinea was eastbound on Red Hill Road.

According to the New Hartford Police Department, Swinea failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Oneida Street, continuing east into a driveway, the side yard of a residence, and finally into Sauquoit Creek.

Swinea suffered minor injuries.

Following an investigation assisted by New York State Police Commercial Vehicle Unit, police determined that “the brake system was inadequate to be used on a roadway especially in an area with steep hills and a significant grade.”

Swinea was ticketed for operating with deficient brakes, failure to stop for a stop sign, and disturbance of a waterway, according to police.