Garbage truck crash sends van into Monroe insurance building, no serious injuries

A garbage truck sent a construction van into the Insure One Insurance building on Route 17M in Monroe, turning a busy Orange County roadway into a crash scene that drew firefighters, police and utility crews.

The collision happened Thursday afternoon and brought a response from the Monroe Fire Department, Monroe EMS, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Tuxedo Police and New York State Police. Viewer video shared with News 12 showed the van slamming into the building after the initial impact, underscoring how quickly the crash cascaded from a traffic collision into a building strike.

Monroe Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson said the garbage truck appeared to hit the van, causing the driver to lose control and crash into the structure. The van ended up in the Insure One Insurance building, a commercial property along Route 17M that had to be treated as a safety hazard before crews could clear the scene.

Richardson said the town’s building inspector spent hours at the site shoring up the structure while working with Orange and Rockland Utilities on safety operations. Officials shut off gas and power as a precaution to prevent fire, electrical or other hazards while responders assessed the damage and stabilized the building.

The van was later removed from the building, Richardson said. She said no one was seriously injured in the crash, a fortunate outcome given the force of the impact and the fact that a commercial vehicle struck a place of business rather than stopping in the roadway.

News 12 said it reached out to New York State Police for more information and was waiting to hear back. The crash left Route 17M with a clear reminder of how a single impact can ripple outward, putting drivers, workers and nearby businesses at risk in a matter of seconds.