(Update 11:45 a.m. April 5) — This story has been updated with additional information from New York State Police.
ITHACA, N.Y. — Police have confirmed that one person was killed in a collision involving three vehicles on Route 89/Taughannock Boulevard. Three other people were injured and airlifted to a regional hospital.
At about 3:20 p.m. Thursday, April 4, a head-on crash involving multiple vehicles was reported on Route 89 near Willow Point Road. Emergency crews from Trumansburg, Ithaca and New York State Police were on scene and firefighters had to extricate several people from vehicles.
Police said a Chrysler Pacifica van was traveling south on Route 89 when it crossed into the oncoming lane for unknown reasons. The van struck a northbound Toyota Camry before hitting a northbound 2010 Chevy Camaro head-on. Investigators found the Camaro took evasive action, moving into the southbound lane to avoid the van, but collided with the van as it swerved back into the southbound lane. The Chrysler Pacifica and Chevy Camaro sustained heavy damage in the crash.
The driver of the van, who is from Seneca Falls, was flown to SUNY Upstate Medical and is undergoing surgery, according to New York State Police Trooper Aga Dembinska. She was unconscious at the scene, police said.
A passenger in the Chrysler Pacifica, Marguerite Cole, age 86 of Seneca Falls, was confirmed dead on the scene, Dembinska said. She said the passenger was related to the van’s driver.
The male driver of the Chevy Camaro, age 30 of Sayreville, New Jersey, and a female passenger, age 19 of New York City, were flown to SUNY Upstate Medical and are undergoing surgery. The man was unconscious when police arrived, Dembinska said, but the woman was conscious.
The driver of the Toyota Camry was not injured.
Three helicopters were called to the scene. Two landed at Taughannock Falls State Park and one landed at Cayuga Medical Center.
The cause of the crash is not known yet, but Dembinska said it is clear the Chrysler Pacifica crossed over onto the other side of the road. No tickets have been issued at this time.
Trumansburg Fire Department, Ithaca Fire Department, Bangs Ambulance, New York State Police, Trumansburg Police and the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office provided emergency response. Emergency crews remained on scene until about 8 p.m.
Featured photo by Devon Magliozzi.