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Two Killed In Car Crash On Route 22 In Southeast

This story has been updated

New York State Troopers at the scene of a 2-car collision on Route 22 in Southeast.

New York State Troopers at the scene of a 2-car collision on Route 22 in Southeast.

Photo Credit: Tom Auchterlonie
A helicopter flies overhead during the response to a fatal car collision in Southeast.

A helicopter flies overhead during the response to a fatal car collision in Southeast.

Photo Credit: Tom Auchterlonie

SOUTHEAST, N.Y. -- A man and a woman have died as a result of a two-car collision on Route 22 in Southeast, according to Brewster Fire Chief Bill Rieg.

The man who died was initially reported as the first fatality. He was found dead in a car that had been traveling northbound, according to the chief. The man was a passenger in the car, Rieg explained.

New York State Police have identified the man as Douglas Cable, a 56-year-old Brewster man.

The woman who died was the driver of a vehicle that had been going southbound, according to Rieg. The chief previously told Daily Voice that she went into cardiac arrest. In a followup interview, Rieg said that she died after being transported to Putnam Hospital Center.

The woman has been identified by State Police as Kathleen Bassick, a 47-year-old Danbury, Conn. resident.

Bassick and Cable were taken to Putnam Hospital Center and pronounced dead, according to police. Bassick was driving a 2011 Hyundai Elantra.

The collision happened on Route 22, Rieg said, near the intersection with Reed Farm Drive at approximately 1:15 p.m.

A portion of Route 22 was closed on Friday afternoon as a result of the collision. The affected stretch is south of downtown Brewster and north of downtown Croton Falls.

Rieg explained that the driver of the northbound vehicle was still alive. The fire chief recalled that the driver, a male, talked to him and had a bloody arm.

State Police identified the driver as Joseph Ruffalo, a 55-year-old Mahopac resident.

State Police said that Ruffalo was going southbound. While police note that Bassick crossed into the other lane, it is not known why. Ruffalo was operating a 2008 Subaru, police said.

According to Rieg, the vehicle that was heading southbound crossed into the opposite lane and collided with the northbound vehicle. 

New York State Police and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were among those also on the scene.

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