Twelve car crash in Chautauqua County sends 10 persons to hospitals

Severe winter weather conditions that caused a white-out on Route 5 in the Silver Creek section of the Town of Sheridan caused a 12-vehicle accident at noontime Thursday and sent ten persons, including two Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputies to area hospitals with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office announced in Mayville.

The incident began as a sheriff’s patrol car was traveling east in the 2400 block of Route 5 in Silver Creek when numerous disabled vehicles were stopped in white-out conditions in the east bound lane.

After deputies activated emergency lights to start getting disabled vehicles out of the traveling lane, four more eastbound cars crashed into each other and hit the sheriff’s patrol vehicle, knocking it into the middle of Route 5. There the patrol vehicle was struck by an east-bound multi-axle truck and then struck by two more vehicles. The two sheriff’s deputies were injured and taken to Brooks Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Eight civilians were also taken to area hospitals for treatment. Route 5 was shut down from noon to about 4 p.m. as the multi-vehicle incident was investigated and the roadway cleared of damage.

Sheriff’s deputies, state troopers and crews from the Sheridan, Dunkirk, East Town, Silver Creek and Forestville fire departments assisted at the scene, along with a ents of Chautauqua County Emergency Services.

The names of the persons involved in the accident were being withheld pending further investigation.