Photos/Story by
LT. F. NERNEY

A 42 year old mother and her 3 children narrowly escaped serious injury today.

They were traveling along route 787 through Albany, NY when there minivan broke down in the middle lane.

The woman was not able to get the van out of the driving lane. Two passers by stopped to assist the woman and children to the shoulder minutes before the van was struck by a tractor-trailer dump truck.

There were no injuries, but traffic was snarled for some time while crews cleared the wreckage.