A devastating car accident on a rural stretch of highway has left one woman dead and her longtime partner in critical condition, with first responders describing a harrowing scene of entrapment and desperate revival efforts. Renee Good, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency crews spent more than 40 minutes working to free her from the mangled SUV and perform life-saving measures. Her partner, Becca Larson, 36, was extricated more quickly and airlifted to a regional trauma center, where she remains in intensive care with life-threatening injuries.
The crash occurred shortly before 8 p.m. on January 22, 2026, on a two-lane road outside a small town in upstate New York. According to the preliminary report from state police, the couple’s black SUV veered off the roadway, struck a guardrail, and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its roof in a shallow ditch. First responders from the local volunteer fire department and county EMS arrived within minutes to find the vehicle heavily damaged, with Renee pinned in the driver’s seat by the collapsed roof and dashboard. Becca was trapped in the passenger side, conscious but in severe pain from multiple fractures and internal injuries.
Firefighters used hydraulic rescue tools — the “Jaws of Life” — to pry open the crumpled doors and roof pillars. Paramedics worked simultaneously to stabilize both women. Body-camera and dashcam footage later reviewed by investigators captured the urgency: responders calling out Renee’s name, checking for pulses, starting CPR almost immediately after freeing her upper body. “She had no pulse when we got her out,” one firefighter told local news in an emotional interview. “We did everything we could — chest compressions, defibrillator shocks, airway management — but she never responded. It was one of the hardest calls I’ve ever worked.”
Becca, meanwhile, was conscious enough to speak briefly with rescuers. Witnesses said she repeatedly asked about Renee even as medics treated her for a collapsed lung, broken pelvis, and severe head trauma. She was stabilized on scene and flown by medical helicopter to Albany Medical Center, where she underwent emergency surgery overnight. As of January 23 evening, her condition remained critical but stable; doctors have not yet released details on long-term prognosis.
Renee and Becca had been together for nearly a decade and were known in their small community for their quiet generosity — volunteering at animal shelters, organizing local fundraisers, and recently planning to adopt a child. Friends described them as inseparable, always seen holding hands at farmers’ markets or walking their two rescue dogs along the river trail. “They were the couple everyone wanted to be,” one close friend said. “Always laughing, always supporting each other. This feels unreal.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. State police have not ruled out weather conditions (light freezing rain was reported that evening), mechanical failure, or distraction. No other vehicles were involved, and neither woman had alcohol or drugs in their system according to preliminary toxicology results. Speed does not appear to have been a factor, though the SUV sustained catastrophic damage consistent with a high-energy rollover.
The community has rallied in the aftermath. A GoFundMe set up by friends to help cover Becca’s medical bills and funeral costs for Renee surpassed $80,000 within 48 hours. Vigils have been held at the crash site, with candles, flowers, and handwritten notes lining the guardrail. Local businesses have donated proceeds from sales days to the fund, and a memorial run is being organized for next month to honor the couple’s love of the outdoors.
For first responders, the call has left lasting scars. The volunteer fire chief called it “one of those nights you never forget,” praising his team for their composure despite the emotional weight. “We train for this, but nothing prepares you for looking into someone’s eyes and knowing you’re doing everything possible and it still might not be enough,” he said.
Renee’s family released a short statement thanking emergency personnel and asking for privacy as they grieve. “She was kind, brave, and loved deeply,” they wrote. “Hold your people close.” Becca’s sister posted a photo of the couple laughing together on a hiking trail, captioning it: “Keep fighting, Bec. She’s right there with you.”
The accident has reignited local conversations about rural road safety — better signage, guardrail upgrades, and more frequent patrols on secondary highways. Yet for those who knew Renee and Becca, the focus remains on two lives intertwined by love, suddenly and violently torn apart. As Becca fights in the ICU, the community holds its breath, hoping one half of the pair can somehow survive what the other could not.
In the quiet aftermath, the mangled SUV has been towed away, but the emotional wreckage remains. A love story that once felt unbreakable now faces its hardest chapter — one woman gone too soon, the other clinging to life, and a shared future that may never be.
