Washington County Sheriff's Office investigating after two tractor-trailers collide

The sheriff's department is investigating an afternoon accident that involved two tractor-trailers.

The accident took place on I41 southbound at Mohawk Road in the Town of Wayne shortly after noon on Friday.

Upon arrival, first responders located a damaged tractor-trailer stopped in the right lane and a second damaged tractor-trailer stopped in the far right emergency lane.

Both tractors had sustained significant damage but neither operator claimed injury.

Initial investigation reveals that the lead southbound tractor-trailer had stopped in the right lane due to construction related back-ups.

The second southbound tractor-trailer was unable to stop in time to avoid striking the lead tractor-trailer.

The operator of the second tractor-trailer then took evasive action by positioning his vehicle in the far right emergency lane. In the process of trying to rapidly stop in the emergency lane, the second tractor-trailer jackknifed and impacted the first tractor.

The matter remains under investigation but inattentive driving and driving too fast for conditions appear to be contributing factors.