Fatal car crashes in Erie County, New York
From 2020 through 2024, 284 people died in 264 crashes on roads in Erie County, New York.
That is 6.0 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, above the New York rate of 5.6 and below the US rate of 12.1.
SR-5 (Main St) had more fatal crashes than any other road here: 21, killing 22.
Bicyclists were 6% of the people killed here, against 4% statewide.
In 2024, 55 people were killed, 15% more than in 2020 (48).
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · population: Census 2024 estimate, 950,602 · checked October 2, 2026
people killed in crashes, 2020-2024 (264 crashes)
deaths a year per 100,000 residents (New York 5.6, US 12.1)
pedestrians killed, 19% of all deaths here
of fatal crashes involved a driver police reported as drinking
Where the fatal crashes happened
Each dot is one crash that killed at least one person, placed at the coordinates in the police report.
The deadliest roads in Erie County
SR-5 (Main St) leads with 21 fatal crashes in five years. Roads are counted by the name in the crash report; a highway's frontage roads and ramps count toward it.
| # | Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SR-5 Main St | 21 | 22 |
| 2 | US-62 Bailey Ave | 17 | 18 |
| 3 | SR-33 Genesee St | 14 | 15 |
| 4 | US-20 Southwestern Blvd | 12 | 13 |
| 5 | I-190 Exit 6 Ramp | 10 | 11 |
| 6 | SR-16 Seneca St | 9 | 9 |
| 7 | I-90 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | SR-354 Clinton St | 6 | 6 |
| 9 | Elmwood Ave | 5 | 5 |
| 10 | SR-277 Union Rd | 5 | 5 |
Deaths by year
Erie County ranks 5th of 61 New York counties by deaths and 52nd by death rate (1st = highest), among counties with 10 or more fatal crashes.
When crashes turn deadly
50% of fatal crashes here happened in the dark. The single deadliest hour was 8 pm to 9 pm.
Friday had the most fatal crashes (43), and 29% fell on a Saturday or Sunday.
By month, September was the worst (32 crashes across the five years).
What was involved
Shares of fatal crashes (or of deaths) in Erie County, next to New York and the US. Red marks a share at least a quarter higher than the state's.
| Factor | Erie County | Share | New York | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding was a factor a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions | 97 | 37% | 33% | 28% |
| A driver had been drinking police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver | 75 | 28% | 20% | 26% |
| A large truck was involved a truck over 10,000 lbs | 24 | 9% | 11% | 13% |
| Hit-and-run a driver left the scene | 29 | 11% | 9% | 7% |
| Pedestrians killed share of all deaths | 55 | 19% | 25% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists killed share of all deaths | 49 | 17% | 18% | 15% |
| Bicyclists killed share of all deaths | 17 | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| Teens (15-19) killed share of all deaths | 21 | 7% | 6% | 7% |
After a crash in Erie County
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Get the crash report
NYPD collision reports are online at collisionreport.nypdonline.org (accessible within up to seven business days of the incident; at the precinct for the first 30 days, then through DMV form MV-198C); other local police departments also post reports, for example Suffolk County PD directs online requests to BuyCrash.com.
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Know your deadline
New York gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit (N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5)). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: A notice of claim must be served on a public corporation (city, county, town, school district) within 90 days after the claim arises (for wrongful death, 90 days from appointment of the estate's representative); suit then must be brought within one year and 90 days.
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Who pays
New York is a no-fault state: your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays first, with at least $50,000 required, and you can sue the other driver only past the state's threshold. Give your own auto insurer written notice of the accident as soon as you reasonably can and no later than 30 days after the crash, unless you can show clear and reasonable justification for being late.
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If you were partly at fault
For car-crash injury claims (actions subject to the no-fault law, Insurance Law Article 51), you recover nothing if your fault is greater than the other party's (51% or more), and otherwise your award is reduced by your share. This replaced New York's pure comparative rule for these claims in May 2026; other kinds of cases remain pure comparative under CPLR 1411(a).
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The other driver’s minimum coverage
The legal minimum liability coverage in New York is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $10,000 for property (25/50/10).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for New York. Both take under a minute.
Cities in Erie County
| City | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 104 | 7.5 | 28 | 276,617 |
Nearby counties
| County | Distance | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming County, New York | 28 mi | 15 | 7.6 | 0 | 39,588 |
| Genesee County, New York | 34 mi | 40 | 13.9 | 7 | 57,604 |
| Niagara County, New York | 36 mi | 102 | 9.7 | 18 | 209,570 |
| Cattaraugus County, New York | 36 mi | 45 | 11.9 | 2 | 75,475 |
| Chautauqua County, New York | 45 mi | 60 | 9.7 | 5 | 124,105 |
| Orleans County, New York | 50 mi | 17 | 8.6 | 1 | 39,686 |
| Livingston County, New York | 51 mi | 27 | 8.8 | 5 | 61,561 |
| Allegany County, New York | 52 mi | 30 | 12.7 | 4 | 47,299 |
About these numbers
FARS counts every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days. It leaves out the far larger number of crashes that only injured people. Places are as coded in the report: a crash on a county road just outside city limits counts for the county, not the city. Rates use the Census 2024 population estimate and the five-year average.