Annapolis,MD : Four killed in Oswego County crash; police release names on July, Wednesday 5th 2017

State police have released the names of those involved in a fatal vehicle crash Wednesday night on I-81.
According to state police, at 11:38 p.m., a 2015 Western Star milk tanker operated by 38-year-old Charles T. Howard III, from Watertown, was traveling northbound on I-81 when he swerved to avoid striking deer on the highway. Mr. Howard lost control of the tanker, which jackknifed, blocking both northbound lanes.
A 2002 Mercury Sable, operated by Corey E. Moore, age 50, from Canton, was traveling north on I-81 when he was unable to avoid striking the tanker, passing under the trailer and coming to rest in a ditch on the east shoulder of the roadway. Mr. Moore, along with two passengers in the vehicle, Gregg P. Williams, 58, of DeKalb Junction and Roderick C. Cota, 63, of Norwood, were all pronounced deceased at the scene.
Shortly thereafter, a 2011 Subaru, operated by Moon John Kim, 52, from Ellicott City, Maryland, was also traveling north on I-81 when he struck the same tanker, passed under the trailer and traveled more than 150 feet off the west shoulder of the roadway before coming to rest in the median. Mr. Kim was pronounced deceased at the scene as well.
Mr. Howard was not injured in the crash. The New York State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) is investigating the crash. State police were assisted at the scene by members of the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office and Sandy Creek Fire Department.
Dr. Kim was an interventional radiologist at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, according to a Krista A. Kittle, director of communication and public relations at the hospital. He joined the medical staff in 2011.
“Samaritan Medical Center’s staff and physicians are mourning the loss of Dr. Moonjohn Kim. Dr. Kim was a gifted physician who was adored and deeply respected by his colleagues, staff and patients,” reads a release from Samaritan Medical Center. “He leaves behind a legacy of tremendous medical skill, talent and true compassion that impacted the lives of so many patients. We extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Kim’s family and everyone who knew and loved him.”
Mr. Moore, Mr. Williams and Mr. Cota all were employees of R.B. Lawrence Ambulance in Canton. The three men had more than 30 years combined service to the company.
“We are such a small company that they are all family,” said a somber Mr. Lawrence Thursday morning. “They are just great people. I am not sure how we replace them or how we go on, but we are still in shock on this and still trying to figure out all that happened.”
According to Mr. Lawrence, the three employees were headed back to Canton after transporting a patient.
“We had a call to take a patient to Syracuse and the driver and the critical care tech had taken the patient down and on the way back, one of the rigs malfunctioned in Pulaski,” he said. “(Mr. Moore) picked them up, they started back up 81 and the way we are being told, a tractor-trailer jackknifed and swerved and ended up tying up both northbound lanes of 81. When it got jackknifed, it became unplugged so that none of the lights were working on the tractor-trailer.”
Mr. Lawrence said his company’s director of operations was on his way to find out more information regarding the incident. Mr. Lawrence said he would be meeting with families this afternoon.
“(Mr. Cota) was a super driver. He was really a good, really careful, really conscientious EMT. We would get several cards a year singling the EMT out,” Mr. Lawrence said. “(Mr. Moore) was kind of in the background, but he wasn’t because he was such a personable guy and was never looking for any large amount of gratitude or anything. Those ambulances were his babies. He knew them inside and out. He had records on those that were staggering and he loved the job.”
“You hear about these crazy things and during the summer months fortunately it doesn’t happen very often. During the summer months it is a huge, huge shock. During the winter in that snow belt area, which is where I assume it happened, something like this could happen more often. But during the summer it is such an anomaly,” Mr. Lawrence continued.
Interstate 81 reopened at 7 a.m. today.


Source :
Four killed in Oswego County crash; police release names