DWI driver triggers chain-reaction crash on I-190 in Tonawa…
Car Crash Tonawanda New York in Tonawanda, New York: A New York State Trooper jumped a concrete highway barrier to avoid being struck after a driver later charged with driving while intoxicated triggered a chain-reaction crash on I-190 southbound on the evening of July 1, 2026. At 7:38 p.m., a Trooper was standing outside a marked police car with emergency lights activated in the town of Tonawanda when a 2014 Dodge Ram with a dolly trailer, operated by James R. Phalen, 34, of Alden, N.Y., struck a 2007 Ford Focus. The Ford Focus then struck the police car, which struck a 2025 Dodge Charger involved in the original crash that troopers had responded to. The Trooper was not injured. Phalen refused a chemical test at State Police in Buffalo and was issued appearance tickets.