NICHOLS, NEW YORK — A 70-year-old truck driver from Ontario, Canada, was killed early Friday morning after his tractor-trailer struck a disabled SUV partially blocking a lane on State Route 17, sending the truck off the roadway and into a tree.

The crash occurred at approximately 1:53 a.m. on March 6, 2026, on westbound State Route 17 between exits 63 and 62 in the Town of Nichols. A 2020 Mitsubishi SUV operated by Kaden T. Watson, 21, of Warren Center, Pennsylvania, had traveled off the westbound roadway and struck a guardrail. The impact triggered airbag deployment, leaving the vehicle inoperable and partially blocking the right travel lane. Watson exited his vehicle just moments before the tractor-trailer, also traveling westbound, struck the disabled SUV.

The force of the collision sent the tractor-trailer off the roadway, down a steep embankment, and into a tree. Emergency responders from the Nichols Volunteer Fire Department and Tioga Center Fire & EMS arrived to find the truck operator deceased inside the cab. He was identified as a 70-year-old male from Ontario, Canada. Watson reported no injuries and showed no signs of impairment at the scene.

The New York State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit are investigating the crash. Key evidence will include the tractor-trailer's Electronic Logging Device and the SUV's airbag module data.

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