A 19-year-old Mount Upton man died when the van he was driving smashed into a parked vehicle early Sunday morning, according to troopers.
Christopher J. Fuller was driving alone on state Route 8 at about 6:40 a.m., state police at Sidney said in daily media report.
The crash happened near Trooper Timothy Thatford's home in Guilford. Thatford, who was off-duty, said he was the first one at the scene but didn't investigate it in an official capacity.
Thatford, who was directing traffic later Sunday for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, said Fuller struck a small, unoccupied sport utility vehicle that was parked on the shoulder of the road in his lane of travel. The driver narrowly missed a utility pole, but hit the SUV in the rear, causing heavy damage to both vehicles.
There were no passengers in Fuller's van, he said.
No media release was issued by troopers Sunday, and no additional information on the crash was available, including potential causes or whether alcohol may have been a factor.
Relatives and friends said they would remember Fuller for his joking sense of humor and his devotion to his younger brother, Devin, 8.
Fuller was a 2008 graduate of Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School, said Brenda Friedel, his stepmother, and peers voted him "class clown."
"He loved being around people," said Friedel, of Mount Upton. Fuller had lived with her most recently and during his high school years, she said. Fuller looked out for his younger brother, Devin, and paid him $1 a month to be "his secretary" and answer his telephone.
"He loved to joke around," Friedel said. "He just make everybody laugh, even me when I was mad at him."
Friedel said she hadn't wanted Fuller to drive home last night after visiting friends in Gilbertsville or Norwich. Fuller, who was driving her van, wasn't wearing a seat belt and may have fallen asleep, Friedel said. She said she was informed that he broke his neck in the crash.
On Sunday afternoon, two friends said they met at Friedel's house and with the friend of another mutual friend to comfort one another about Fuller's death.
"Nobody's taking it easy," said Tyler Steiber, 19, of Norwich. Fuller was a friend since grade school and a roommate when they went to Mohawk Valley Community College last autumn, he said.
Timothy Hall, 19, of South Plymouth, said he and Fuller were "hanging out'' with friends last night.
"He was my best friend _ he always kept me laughing," Hall said. "I still can't believe he's not here."
Fuller liked to ride four-wheelers and also watch races, Hall said, and his nickname was "Chris Fuller _ the man you can't controlla."
On Saturday night, the friends had been riding dirt bikes, Steiber said. Fuller had just finished working on his 1998 Honda Civic, including a crimson red paint job, and he also worked at his uncle's business, Fuller Paving of Mount Upton.
"He was one of a kind," Steiber said.
Last week, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a plan to continue to improve the education of teen drivers in New York state.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States, Schumer said, and every year more than 5,000 teens aged 16 to 20 die from injuries from car accidents and about 400,000 drivers aged 16 to 20 are seriously injured.
"My legislation will provide funding to communities to establish continuing-education drivers' courses to anyone who wants it to help prevent accidents among teens and all drivers," he said in a media release.
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The Daily Star's Jake Palmateer contributed to this report.
