Two people were killed in a multi-vehicle collision that involved a tractor-trailer, two box trucks and another vehicle on the New York State Thruway in Rockland County Friday morning, state police say.
A third victim suffered minor injuries in the 10 a.m. crash near exit 14B of Interstate 87 in Suffern, which forced the shutdown of the southbound lanes of the highway and caused 10-mile traffic backups all the way to the Tappan Zee Bridge, authorities said.
There were also delays and intermittent closures on the northbound side between exits 12 and 15 as authorities investigated.
One woman told NBC 4 New York her usual 10-minute commute took three hours. It wasn't clear when the southbound lanes would reopen.
A preliminary investigation reveals one of the vehicles was traveling northbound, then crossed over into southbound traffic, causing the collision, according to police.
Authorities said the two people killed were in the box truck, which was carrying mattresses.
Chopper 4 showed an extensive emergency presence at the scene.
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