At approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday, emergency officials from Canton and surrounding towns responded to the scene of a head-on collision on Route 44 near Bristol's Farm.
The accident involved a silver Jeep and Ford E-Series Transport van, police said.
The town of Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS Department, with the help of crews from New Hartford, had to extricate two people from a wheel-chair accessible van and one from another vehicle, fire officials said. The department requested LifeStar but the emergency helicopter was unavailable due to weather.
Police said both drivers and the van passenger were transported to the hospital but injuries did not appear life threatening. The driver of the Jeep Liberty, identified as Whitney Gostyla of Farmington, was later released from the hospital, police said. Tuesday evening, there was no immediate word on the condition of the van driver, identified as Cindy Finkle of Southfield, MA, or her passenger.
Initial reports indicated the potential for much more serious injuries and crews were initially dealing with the unknown of how many passengers were in the van, Police Sgt. Mark Penney said.
A portion of Route 44 was closed by Fire Police during the accident and reopened at approximately 11 a.m. After the vehicles were towed and firefighters cleaned vehicle fluids from the roadway.
Units from Simsbury and New Hartford provided "mutual aid" during the incident, fire officials said.
Police are investigating the accident. Penney said the initial investigation indicates the westbound jeep swerved into the eastbound lane, crashing into the van. No charges have been filed.
