By Jake Palmateer

Staff Writer

ONEONTA — An area man is dead after his car slammed

Star photo by Anita Briggs From left, City of Oneonta Fire Chief Robert Barnes, police Lt. Joseph Redmond and Fire Department Captain Tom DiMartin examine an accident scene Tuesday on Interstate 88 east of Exit 13.

into the rear of a disabled tractor-trailer along Interstate 88 on Tuesday morning.

Joseph Popp, 55, of Oneonta, was killed instantly when his 1993 Honda Civic slid under the rear of the trailer at about 11 a.m. on the westbound side of the interstate, said Patrolman Andrew Barber of the Oneonta Police Department.

The impact sheared the roof from the car, leaving just the bumper and trunk exposed to view.

Truck driver Michael Cook, 42, of Opelika, Ala., was in the sleeping compartment of the 2006 Freightliner registered to Covenant Tr[an error occurred while processing this directive]ansportation Inc. and was not injured, Barber said.

The crash occurred within city limits at mile marker 54 in front of the Corning plant.

There were no passengers in either vehicle.

Barber said a state trooper had stopped by the rig before the accident and instructed the driver to put his hazard lights on and place yellow triangles behind the rear of the trailer.

Those measures were in place when the accident occurred and the rig was three feet to the right of the white line, he said.

Although the crash happened on a day of heavy rain, visibility was good at the time of the accident, police said.

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Cook was having transmission trouble with the rig and had pulled over at about 9 a.m. to wait for assistance, Lt. Joseph Redmond said.

County Coroner James Hurley pronounced Popp dead at the scene, Redmond said.

A witness told police that he was traveling about 60 mph as Popp drove in front of him. Speed did not appear to be a factor, Barber said.

Barber said a state police accident-reconstruction team responded to the scene, and a report from them was expected in a couple of days.

At this point, there is no indication of what may have caused Popp to veer into the rear of the rig, Barber said.

Last year, with plans to build a butterfly conservancy, Popp purchased the Stonehouse Farm once owned by David Wilber III.

Wilber donated the 1821 farmhouse to Hartwick College in 1996.

Cook was ticketed for not having a current log book, which is a misdemeanor under state trucking regulations.