Cortland man dies after incident on I81 – State police investigate cause

Just before 1 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, State Police, Homer Fire Department and TLC Ambulance responded to a car crash on I81 in the city of Homer.

New York State Police spokesman Sergeant Jack Keller told X101 News that the driver of the vehicle, identified as Dale J. Planck, 53, of Cortlanddied at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center after being transported by TLC ambulance.

Planck was driving a 2020 BMW and was traveling south on I81 when he struck a side guardrail on the west shoulder of the highway. He then crossed the driving and passing lanes of I81 south. Keller says Planck then drove off the shoulder of I81 northbound and came to a stop in a line of trees.

Planck was found unconscious in the vehicle and taken to Guthrie Cortland Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death remains under investigation, Keller says. State police are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.