Police Identify Snow Plow, Toyota Drivers in 9W Crash

Clarkstown police have identified the drivers of the car and the snow plow involved in a violent smash-up on Route 9W Feb. 23.

The driver of the 2009 Toyota Corolla is Felipe Portillo, a 35-year-old Orangeburg resident. As of last night, Portillo was at Westchester Medical Center in serious but stable condition, police said this morning.

The driver of the NYS Department of Transportation snow plow is identified as Burl Scott Page. Page, 37, lives in Nanuet.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Clarkstown Police Accident Investigation Team.

The crash occurred just after 7 p.m. on a section of 9W that the Nyack Free Press characterized as “a notoriously dangerous curve just south of Route 304 that has been the site of many serious accidents - including head-on crashes.”

A 2009 Toyota Corolla had collided with a 2006 New York State Department of Transportation snow plow. The Toyota had extensive front end damage and the driver had suffered severe injuries. The driver of the snow plow, a male, 37, of Nanuet, appeared uninjured, police said.

Congers firefighters extricated Portillo from the Toyota after a long effort. A surgeon was called to the scene in case an amputation was needed but it was not.

Congers Ambulance and Paramedics were able to stabilize Portillo and transport him to Nyack Hospital in critical condition, from whence he was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Rt. 9W was closed for a few hours to conduct the investigation.