Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike has provided an update, and identified the driver involved in the fatal one-car crash near Dresden.
In a press release on Monday, Sheriff Spike says the operator, James Hayes, 37, of Penn Yan, died in the wreck.
He says the crash and cause of death remains under investigation at this time.
Read the crash report, released by Sheriff Spike below.
One dead after crash near gorge in Yates County
Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike says his office investigated a fatal one-car crash along Route 14 near Route 54.
The crash, which occurred near the village of Dresden, happened when a vehicle apparently catapulted off Route 14 at the east side of a large bridge, and landed near the Keuka Outlet Stream.
The vehicle was destroyed by fire, and it took firefighters utilizing ATVs to get to the vehicle.
Around 2:30 p.m. Sheriff Spike announced that deputies were investigating a reported missing person from the town of Jerusalem. That missing persons report was filed shortly before the crash occurred.
He says preliminary investigation shows that the vehicle deliberately traveled at a high rate of speed, while traveling north, off the east side embankment near the gorge adjacent to the Route 14 bridge.
The fire was put out by local firefighters, and the roadway was reopened hours after the crash.
The person inside has not been identified yet.
Coroner Ronald Daily pronounced the driver dead at the scene. The body has been taken to Monroe County for examination.
Sheriff Spike asks anyone who has photos, video, or may have witnessed the crash to contact his office at 315-536-4438.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].