DEERFIELD — A 77-year-old Simsbury, Connecticut, man has been cited in a crash that sent three people to the hospital about 3 p.m. Monday.
Deerfield Police officer Adam Sokoloski said Robert Willard was traveling on Routes 5 and 10 when his Toyota Camry was involved in a collision with a school van. He was cited for failure to yield to oncoming traffic.
“The vehicle that was traveling south, operated by Mr. Willard, turned into the school van as it was attempting to turn (left) into Richardson’s Candy Kitchen,” Sokoloski said.
Willard and the driver of the van, 64-year-old Loucinda Lueders of Greenfield, were transported by ambulance to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield with non-life-threatening injuries. There were three children in the van at the time of the crash, and one also was brought to the hospital with minor injuries.
The other two students in the van were picked up by family members at the scene.
The school van was transporting children from Valley West School in Chicopee to their homes in Franklin County when the crash occurred.
The road was closed for 45 minutes while the scene was cleared.
Both the car and the van sustained heavy damage to the front drivers’ sides. Sokoloski emphasized the importance of seat-belt use, as all occupants were buckled up at the time of the crash.
“Pulling up to a scene like that and seeing the amount of damage that was there, most people would’ve thought there would be much greater injuries, but because of seat-belt use it was just minor,” he said.