On October 9th, 2024 at approximately 2:36 PM, members of the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to West Lake Road near Chaffee Road in the Town of Dryden, for a reported personal injury accident.
Upon arrival, deputies located a white Ford Bus owned by First Transit Inc. of Cortland, New York that had struck a tree. The operator and five passengers were located inside of the bus.
Four of the passengers were transported to Cayuga Medical Center to be evaluated. The driver was flown to Robert Packer Hospital to be treated for their injuries. One passenger, 63 year old Kevin Welch from Cortland, NY was transported to Guthrie Cortland Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of the collision is still under investigation.
The Tompkins County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the following agencies: The New York State Police, Dryden Fire Department, Freeville Fire Department, Dryden Ambulance, TLC Ambulance, Lifenet, Guthrie Air, the Town of Dryden Highway Department, and Brecht's Towing.
