More Details About ‘Horrifying’ Fatal Mishap Near Many Businesses

Police released more details about the "absolutely horrifying" fatal accident near a number of popular local restaurants and bars.

On Thursday just before 4 p.m., the New Paltz Police Department responded to a reported vehicle-pedestrian accident in the area of the Wallkill bridge. Initial responders found the deceased pedestrian in the roadway.

Witnesses reported seeing the pedestrian being dragged down Main Street under a tractor-trailer that continued west on Route 299, police say. The vehicle was located and stopped on Libertyville Road in the area of 299 in the Town of New Paltz.

Due to the distance in which the subject was dragged, Main Street was closed from North Front Street to Springtown Road until about 9:00 p.m. so investigators could process the scene and collect evidence.

Police believe for an unknown reason the person climbed under the trailer when it was stopped in traffic. The driver had no idea and continued driving down Main Street when the person became dislodged, caught under the vehicle and dragged down the street, police say.

A witness told Hudson Valley Post, it started near Heady Teddy's Outfitters on Main Street and the person was dragged to near the bridge that goes over the Wallkill River at the bottom of Main Street.

"I witnessed this and I couldn’t believe it was real. This was absolutely horrifying. Prayers to everyone involved," Georgina Nicole wrote in the comment sections of the New Paltz Police Department's Facebook post about the fatal accident. "I was sitting at the stoplight by Lola’s heading up Main St. I saw the truck and I legitimately thought what I was seeing was not real. I thought it was a sick joke, because I saw a man on the side of the road with a bewildered look on his face too. Then I heard cars beeping after the truck and saw a police car, so I feared the worst was true. Absolutely tragic."

The unnamed driver was interviewed by officers and fully cooperated with the investigation, according to the New Paltz Police Department. The investigation shows no fault with the vehicle operator and there are no charges to be filed, police say.

The person was pronounced dead on the scene. On Thursday, the New Paltz Police Department released the name of the victim, 36-year-old Geoffrey Paturel, 36, of Woodstock. It still remains unclear why or how the Woodstock man ended up under the trailer.

There are a number of bars, restaurants and businesses near the accident including P&G's, Heady Teddy's Outfitters, Starbucks, McGillicuddy's, Krause's Chococaltes of New Paltz, B-Side Grill, Main Street Bistro, Moon Light Cafe, Lola's Cafe, Snug Harbor, Schatzi's, Karma Road, The Station and Clemson Bros. Brewery, according to Goole Maps.