CHEEKTOWAGA, NY — State Police responded to a crash on the Exit 52 ramp of the Thruway in the town of Cheektowaga at approximately 6:30 a.m. on March 17, 2026.
Investigation revealed that Mark Joseph Lawniczak, 40, of Lancaster, was operating a 2021 Ford pickup truck hauling a travel trailer, heading westbound on the ramp when he lost control.
The trailer overturned and both the truck and trailer went off the right shoulder of the highway.
The truck then struck a 2023 GMC U-Haul van that was on the side of the road waiting to be towed due to a separate incident.
No injuries were reported.
Traffic was able to get by on the shoulder, but coupled with the rush hour commute, slowdowns occurred until the scene was cleared.
Shortly after 8 a.m., State Police responded to an overturned utility truck in the median of the Thruway in the town of Newstead.
Investigation revealed that Jonathan J. Francis, 66, of Ontario, Canada was operating the 2010 Freightliner utility truck, traveling eastbound near mile marker 405, when he lost control.
He exited the roadway and overturned into the median.
Francis and his passenger, a 20-year-old male from Ontario, were transported to Erie County Medical Center with minor injuries.
Traffic was not impacted, and the truck was later removed.
State Police also responded to multiple other weather-related crashes and disabled vehicles along the Thruway in Western New York.
