Police Identify Driver Killed In Truck Crash On I-81

TULLY, N.Y. (AP) — New York State Police have identified the truck driver who died in a crash on Interstate 81 near Syracuse that snarled traffic for hours.

Troopers say 48-year-old Patricia Rodgers, of Burlington, New Jersey, was driving a tractor-trailer north on Interstate 81 around 7:15 a.m. Thursday when she veered across the median into the southbound lane in the Onondaga County town of Tully, just south of Syracuse.

Police say the truck then travelled over a guardrail and crashed down an embankment. Troopers say Rodgers was pronounced dead at the scene after she was found trapped underneath the truck's cab.

A stretch of I-81 was closed for more than 12 hours after the crash.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. Police continue to investigate the crash.

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Information from: The Post-Standard, http://www.syracuse.com