DEERFIELD — A 77-year-old Simsbury, Conn., man has been cited in a crash that sent three to the hospital Monday.
According to Deerfield Police officer Adam Sokoloski, Robert Willard was traveling on Routes 5 and 10 when his Toyota Camry collided with a school van. He was cited for failure to yield to oncoming traffic.
The south bound vehicle operated by Mr. Willard, crashed into the north bound school van while trying to turn left into Richardson’s Candy Kitchen.
Willard and the driver of the van, 64-year-old Loucinda Lueders of Greenfield, were transported by ambulance to Baystate Franklin Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. There were three children in the van at the time of the crash, and one was also brought to the hospital with minor injuries.
Both the car and the van sustained heavy damage to the front drivers’ sides. Sokoloski emphasized the importance of seatbelt 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 seatbelt use it was just minor,” he said.