On January 25th, at 9:35 a.m., Columbia County 911 sent East Chatham Fire Company, with mutual aid from Canaan and local EMS agencies, to a two-car accident on the westbound Thruway between mile marks 17.8 and 19.0. Units were returning from a chimney fire in the Lebanon Valley Protective Association district when they were redirected to the crash site.

The Canaan Protective Fire Company came first and assumed leadership. Two automobiles were in separate lanes, with a total of four patients. Crews set up equipment to protect the location, while New York State Police Troop T provided early warning. Fire and EMS personnel cared for patients and moved disabled automobiles to reopen a travel lane and increase road safety.