This story has been updated.
A three-vehicle car crash in the town of Newfield on Tuesday, Aug. 1 has left eight people injured.
The crash occurred on State Route 13 close to Smiley’s Food Mart, according to Trooper Aga Dembinska, a public information officer for the New York State Police Troop C. The New York State Police was dispatched at about 3:32 p.m. by the Tompkins County 911 Center.
In a statement to The Ithaca Voice, Trooper Dembinska described that the investigation at the scene found that the three vehicles were traveling northbound. The first vehicle was a Honda Odyssey operated by a 49-year-old woman from Newfield, NY. When the Honda Odyssey stopped to make a left turn, the second vehicle — a Chevrolet Traverse operated by a 61-year-old man — also slowed down. However, the third vehicle — a Ford Escape operated by a 24-year-old woman from Elmira, NY — rear-ended the Chevrolet. This pushed the Chevrolet into the Honda.
After this story was published, one of the drivers involved in the crash contacted The Ithaca Voice to add her perspective as the driver of the Honda Odyssey. She mostly confirmed the police’s account, but stated that from her view neither vehicle behind her had slowed before her car was hit twice due to the successive impacts.
The injuries reported on the scene are as follows:
- A 15-year-old female passenger of the Honda reported an injury and was transported to Cayuga Medical Center by ambulance.
- The operator of the Chevrolet was transported to Cayuga Medical Center by ambulance due to a complaint of pain.
- A 29-year-old man from Las Vegas, NV, who was a passenger of the Chevrolet, was transported to Cayuga Medical Center by ambulance due to a complaint of pain.
- The operator of the Ford was transported to Upstate Medical Center by ambulance due to a complaint of pain.
- A 3-year-old from Elmira, NY, who was a passenger of the Ford, was transported to Upstate Medical Center by helicopter for a head injury.
- A 56-year-old female from McKinney, TX, who was a passenger of the Ford, was transported to Robert Packer by helicopter due to a complaint of pain.
- A 7-year-old from Elmira, NY, who was a passenger of the Ford, was transported to Upstate Medical Center by ambulance due to a hip/leg injury.
- A 10-year-old from Elmira, NY, who was a passenger of the Ford, was transported by ambulance due to a lower leg injury.
Leaving the scene without a reported injury is the operator of the Honda and another 15-year-old female passenger of the Honda.
According to a Facebook post by the Newfield Fire Co., the first arriving fire chief came to the scene within seconds of the dispatch and began to triage patients. The post states that Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Bangs Ambulance, Village of Trumansburg Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Spencer EMS, Schuyler EMS, Guthrie Air and LifeNet 7-12 Seneca Falls helped and responded to the scene.
Julia Senzon is a reporter from the Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s summer fellowship at the Ithaca Voice. This piece was originally published in the Ithaca Voice.