State Police

A Buffalo man was seriously injured Thursday after police say he turned into traffic on Interstate 90 and was struck by a semi.

State troopers responded at about 9 p.m. to the westbound lane of the interstate in the town of Dunkirk for a personal injury crash between a passenger vehicle and tractor trailer.

A preliminary investigation found that Rashaun T. David, 34, had been parked on the left shoulder in a 2013 Hyundai Sonata with no lights on, “when he abruptly turned into traffic and across both westbound lanes.”

A 2015 Freightliner, being operated by Mohamed A. Ahmed, 47, of Minneapolis, Minn., was unable to avoid the collision, and struck the Sonata, the New York State Police said in a news release.

David was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was ejected from the vehicle. He was airlifted to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa., where he was currently listed in critical condition.

Ahmed was not injured in the crash. The semi’s cargo, large rolls of paper towels, was reported to be compromised and was later removed at the scene.

All westbound lanes were blocked between the Dunkirk and Westfield exits. A traffic diversion remained in place at the Dunkirk exit while accident reconstruction, vehicle recovery and cleanup efforts were completed. All lanes reopened by 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Troopers were assisted on scene by the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, Collision Reconstruction Unit and the Thruway Traffic Safety and Maintenance division. The crash remains under investigation.