Commercial truck driver charged with DWI after Clay crash

A wreck at one of Clay’s busiest Thruway connections left a traffic light on the ground, sent a commercial driver to custody with minor injuries and turned Route 57 into a stop-controlled intersection while crews worked to replace the signal.

Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent about 5:20 p.m. May 5 to the intersection of state Route 57 and the New York State Thruway exit after a commercial car carrier left the Thruway ramp, entered the divider median and struck a traffic light pole. The impact knocked the signal down and destroyed the traffic light, creating a public-safety problem for drivers moving through the area.

The New York State Police’s Thruway Division first evaluated the scene, then turned the investigation over to the sheriff’s office. Deputies also called in the New York State Department of Transportation Commercial Inspection Unit, which found six commercial vehicle violations during its inspection of the truck.

Sheriff’s officials identified the driver as 63-year-old Carl Carlson of the town of Huntington. They said Carlson had minor injuries from the crash, was taken into custody and later released with appearance tickets. The charges listed against him included first-offense driving while intoxicated, alcohol or cannabis in a motor vehicle on a highway, failure to obey a traffic device, crossing road hazard markings and six transportation law infractions.

The crash did more than trigger an arrest. With the traffic signal destroyed, the intersection had to operate as an all-way stop while replacement work moved ahead. The Onondaga County Department of Transportation said a new signal was expected by May 14, and another report said full restoration was expected by May 15. Until then, drivers heading through the Route 57 and Thruway exit area had to slow down, take turns and watch carefully at a location that sees heavy local and commuter traffic.

The county DOT says it is responsible for 800 miles of county roads, a reminder that a single crash at a signalized intersection can ripple far beyond the driver involved. In a county where Route 57 serves as a key corridor near the Thruway, the case underscored how quickly an alleged impaired commercial driver can turn an ordinary evening commute into a broader traffic hazard.