A tractor-trailer hauling 6,000 gallons of yogurt sludge overturned on westbound Interstate 88 in the town of Chenango, Broome County, on Thursday morning, November 12, closing the westbound side at one of the Southern Tier's busiest junctions and sending the driver to hospital, the New York State Police said in accounts carried by WYDC-TV and WCDO Radio.

The crash happened at about 7:21 a.m. near the Interstate 81 interchange, State Police said. The truck was travelling westbound when, investigators believe, its liquid load shifted. The tractor-trailer tipped onto its right side after striking the guardrail, then slid off the shoulder and came to rest beside the roadway, according to the State Police account reported by both outlets.

Source: WYDC-TV (Fox 40), Binghamton

Load shifted before the truck went over, police believe

The early finding is about the load, not another vehicle: neither report describes a second vehicle being involved, and both say police investigators believe the 6,000-gallon load of yogurt sludge — a liquid byproduct load carried in a tanker — shifted as the truck travelled westbound, unbalancing the rig. The truck struck the guardrail before tipping onto its right side and sliding off the shoulder. State Police have not announced any ticket or charge, and the investigation was continuing with commercial vehicle enforcement officers assisting at the scene.

The driver was identified by State Police as Randy Scott Jones, 30, of Hubbardsville, a community in Madison County. He was taken to UHS Wilson Medical Center for treatment of injuries police described as not life-threatening. No update on his condition beyond that description had been released in the reports, and no passenger or other injured person was mentioned in either account.

Source: WCDO Radio News, Nov 12, 2026

Westbound I-88 diverted at Exit 1 toward I-81

While crews responded, westbound traffic on I-88 was diverted at Exit 1, with motorists directed to follow detours to Interstate 81, WCDO Radio reported. Members of the State Police Traffic Incident Management Unit and the Troop C Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit worked the scene, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chenango Fire also responded to assist, both outlets reported. The reports did not give a reopening time for the westbound lanes or a figure for how much of the load, if any, spilled — the DEC's presence is the standard response when a tanker load may have escaped, and readers should not assume a spill size that officials have not stated.

Why this interchange matters for truckers

The I-88/I-81 interchange at Chenango, just north of Binghamton, is where the Southern Tier's east-west freight route meets the north-south I-81 corridor running from the Canadian border crossings through Syracuse and Binghamton down into Pennsylvania — a junction used heavily by commercial traffic, including Canadian and cross-border trucks. Liquid tanker loads are a known handling risk in the industry because a part-filled tank lets the liquid surge as the vehicle moves, shifting the centre of gravity; that is the mechanism State Police believe was at work here, though their investigation has not issued a final finding. For Punjabi and other diaspora truckers who run I-81 and I-88 regularly, a full westbound closure at this junction means the signed detour through I-81 is the only practical alternative until lanes reopen.

What happens next: the State Police investigation, assisted by commercial vehicle enforcement officers, continues, and any finding on the load, the vehicle or possible charges will come from that inquiry. The driver's treatment at UHS Wilson Medical Center continues for injuries described as not life-threatening. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if State Police release a reopening time, a spill figure or a final cause.