BERNE — A Berne man died Saturday after his truck went off Cole Hill Road Friday night and burst into flames.

Joel L. Rapp, 34, failed to negotiate a turn, police say, and his truck went off Cole Hill Road near Willsie Road, hitting a guardrail and then turning over in a ditch.

Rapp was a carpenter and outdoorsman. (See obituary.)

A passer-by called a medic stationed in Berne, at about 7 p.m., according to Lieutenant Mike Monteleone with the Albany County Sheriff’s Department.

Rapp was ejected from his 1996 Dodge Ram pick-up before it burst into flames, police said. Rapp was transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital by Medflight, where he was treated for serious physical injuries, police said.

The Helderburg Ambulance Squad and members of the Berne Volunteer Fire Company responded to the call, Monteleone said.

According to a preliminary investigation, speeding, alcohol, and inattention to road signs and conditions may have caused the accident, he told The Enterprise.

Though blood tests have not yet been released to the sheriff’s department, the information at the scene and the preliminary investigation indicates alcohol may have been a factor, said Monteleone.
Asked if other accidents had occurred on that stretch of Cole Road, Monteleone said, "I believe there have been some accidents, but I can’t give you exact dates."