A Canadian trucker collapsed Feb. 14 and later died when his wife was unable to summon help because of a lack of cell phone signal on Interstate 87 in New York.

Stewart Crookes, 60, of Winnipeg, Canada, was driving north from Johnstown, NY, to Montreal when his truck slid off of I-87 in the Adirondack Northway near Moriah on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Crookes got out to check on the truck but collapsed in deep snow. His wife, Donna Crookes, tried to call 9-1-1 on her cell phone, but couldn't get a signal and had to ask other motorists to call for help when they got a signal.

The trucker's death is the second such death on I-87's 50-mile northern section that lacks cell phone coverage.

The New York Post reported in January that two New York lawmakers are trying to get the state to build a cell phone tower to eliminate the coverage gap.

The effort was inspired by the death in January of 63-year-old Alfred Langner of Brooklyn, who died in his car from hypothermia after his wife was unable to get a signal to call for help from their snow-trapped car.

The Crookes were trapped for 13 hours, the Post reported.