STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
NEWS RELEASE
MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH
CASE#: 26A3000568
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Trooper Kevin Charney
STATION: Berlin Barracks
CONTACT#: 802-229-9191
DATE/TIME: 01/23/2026
STREET: Interstate 89 Southbound
TOWN: Williamstown
LANDMARK AND/OR CROSS STREETS: N/A
INTERSTATE MILE MARKER: 41.2
WEATHER: Snowing
ROAD CONDITIONS: Snow Covered
VEHICLE #1
OPERATOR: Raphael Ligonde
AGE: 57
SEAT BELT? Y
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Barre, VT
VEHICLE YEAR: 2020
VEHICLE MAKE: Freightliner
VEHICLE MODEL: Cascadia
DAMAGE TO VEHICLE #1: No Done
INJURIES: None
HOSPITAL: N/A
SUMMARY OF CRASH:
On January 23rd, 2026, Troopers from the Berlin Barracks responded to the report of a tractor trailer that had crashed on Interstate 89 southbound around approximately mile marker 41.2. The tractor trailer lost control due to snow covered roads, jackknifed and slid off the left side of the roadway into a ditch. The operator reported no injuries and the left lane of Interstate 89 southbound was blocked but the right lane remained open for traffic. Stockwells Garage was able to remove the tractor trailer from the roadway, and the normal flow of traffic was able to resume. The roadway was cleared of any hazards.