Duty of Care

On Thursday evening, October 15, 2026, at about 7:30 p.m., Victoria E. Klimczak, 64, of Batavia, New York, died at the scene after the SUV she was driving east on Lewiston Road in the town of Alabama, Genesee County, struck the back of a dump trailer attached to a farm tractor, according to New York State Police as reported by WGRZ and The Batavian.

Troopers said the 2014 Case IH Steiger 540 tractor was disabled on the shoulder of the road with its hazard lights on. The Genesee County coroner sent her body to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy, and the State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit assisted in the investigation. Early reports, including this site’s, had placed the crash on Route 77 in Niagara County.

When farm equipment breaks down on a road, especially after dark, hazard lights alone may not be enough. The defenses to check are moving the rig fully off the road when possible, setting reflective triangles or flares well behind it, keeping lights and reflectors clean and working, and having a plan for getting a disabled rig moved fast.

• WGRZ
• The Batavian