SOUTHAMPTON — A two-car high-speed crash on College Highway Tuesday sent one driver to the hospital after his vehicle left the road, tore across a field with horses and landed on its side, according to Southampton Police.
Police say a preliminary investigation shows that drivers Jorge Ruiz, 58, of Westfield, and Daniel Harvey, 21, of Northampton, were both traveling northbound on College Highway (Route 10) shortly before noon, when Ruiz attempted to pass Harvey and made contact with his vehicle.
“There was speed involved by both vehicles,” Southampton Police Chief Michael Goyette said, noting that charges are pending and that the accident is still under investigation.
He said that after the vehicles made contact, Ruiz, who was driving a 2005 Nissan Ultima, continued to travel across a driveway at 399 College Highway, crashed through a fence and into a field with horses.
“He traveled the entire distance of the field, missing the two horses that were penned in there,” Goyette said. “About the distance of a football field.”
Ruiz’s car came to a rest on one side against a utility pole on nearby Valley Road, according to police.
Goyette said Harvey was driving a Toyota Celica hatchback. After making contact with Ruiz’s vehicle, his car traveled across the southbound lane, spun around and backed into a tree line.
Ruiz was transported to Noble Hospital in Westfield with “visible, non-life threatening injuries,” while Harvey was not injured in the accident, Goyette said.
Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.