One Killed in Head-on Crash on Ulster County Road

One person has died following a two-car head-on crash on Route 9W in Ulster County, NY.

Commuters driving along Route 9W early Wednesday morning were forced to seek an alternate route after a two-vehicle accident forced first responders to close Route 9W in West Park, NY, for hours while the New York State police investigated the accident.

Head-on Crash Closes Route 9W

It all started on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, at approximately 6:16 a.m., when the Esopus Fire Department and the Town of Esopus Ambulance Squad were called to respond to a reported two-car motor vehicle accident in the area of 1835 Route 9W in West Park, NY.

A recent social media post explained that just after 6 a.m., while first responders were responding to the accident was upgraded to a two-car head-on crash with entrapment and a possible ejection.

Two Vehicle Accident Claims Life

Upon arrival, responders located both vehicles off the roadway on the opposite sides of Route 9W and jumped into action. Members on the scene verified that one subject was ejected from one of the vehicles and one subject was still stuck inside the other.

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Tragically, the person who was ejected from one of the vehicles was pronounced deceased at the scene. The subject who was trapped inside the other vehicle was removed through a side window of the vehicle by first responders and taken to a nearby hospital by New Paltz Rescue Squad.

Route 9W was closed for almost five hours while the New York State Police investigated the accident. The roadway was reopened at 10:50 a.m. Various departments assisted at the scene of the accident, including the Town of Lloyd Police Department, New York State Police, Ulster County Sheriff's Office, Ulster County 911, TEVAS, and the New York State Department of Transportation.