Vernon resident, Sussex County college trustee killed after motorcycle crash in New York
Colleagues and loved ones are mourning a Sussex County college board member and outdoor enthusiast who was killed in a motorcycle crash in New York state over the weekend.
David Castner, 54, of the Highland Lakes section of Vernon, died shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle collided with a pickup truck in Deerpark, New York, according to a press release[1] from the New York State Police.
Castner had served on the Sussex County Community College Board of Trustees since January 2021[2]. SCCC President Jon Connolly called him an "exemplary" member of the board in a statement to the New Jersey Herald Tuesday afternoon.
"He believed in the college’s mission to improve the lives of all students, and understood that the work we do makes for a better county," Connolly said. "Finally, he never lost sight of the employees and all of the good work they do."
David Castner, a member of the Sussex County Community College Board of Trustees since 2021, was killed in a motorcycle accident in New York Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.
A police investigation determined that, as the truck driver was making a left turn on Route 209 northbound at the intersection of Third Street, Castner turned left in front of the truck while traveling south on the highway. Castner was thrown from the motorcycle, and troopers responding to the scene found his vehicle under the truck, police said.
Castner received medical attention from emergency responders before being taken to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, where he was pronounced dead. The crash remained under investigation as of Tuesday afternoon, New York State Police Trooper Steven Nevel said.
Castner spent more than three decades as a sheet metal worker, according to the SCCC website[3]. His hobbies included riding motorcycles and mountain bikes, hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
The Vernon resident was the vice president of Sheet Metal Workers Local 22, a labor union representing workers in Sussex, Morris, Somerset and Union counties. The union shared news of Castner's death[4] on Facebook and linked to a GoFundMe page[5] covering funeral costs, which had raised nearly $5,000 of its $15,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.
Dave Castner, of Sheet Metal Workers Local 22, grinds out some welding beads on a donated school bus for veterans at All-County Transmission in Wantage, July 7, 2019.
The county's trustee selection committee, per state law, must now review applicants for Castner's college board seat and present recommendations to the Board of Commissioners for a vote. The process will take place "on a timeline determined by both the Commissioners and the (county) Administrator," SCCC chief of staff Wendy Fullem said.
Castner was married with three grown children. His daughter Veronica paid tribute to her father on her own Facebook page[6], calling him "my whole world, the light during my dark times and days, and the glue that kept us together."
"Dad, you were simply the most amazing man to walk this earth," Veronica Castner wrote. "You moved mountains. You supported me, you loved me unconditionally, you believed in me. You’d give the shirt off your back for anyone."
She later added, "My biggest fear always was losing you. I can’t believe it happened."
The visitation for Castner will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Ferguson-Vernon Funeral Home on Route 94 in Vernon, followed immediately by the funeral service.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Vernon NJ resident killed in New York motorcycle crash[7]
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- ^ according to a press release (www.nyspnews.com)
- ^ since January 2021 (www.njherald.com)
- ^ according to the SCCC website (sussex.edu)
- ^ shared news of Castner's death (www.facebook.com)
- ^ GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com)
- ^ paid tribute to her father on her own Facebook page (www.facebook.com)
- ^ Vernon NJ resident killed in New York motorcycle crash (www.njherald.com)