The accident was reported shorted before 3 p.m.
A red SUV and a dark van were destroyed in a head-on collision this afternoon on Route 31 in the Town of Sullivan, Madison County. At least one person was killed in the crash near Lucas Road.Bridgeport, NY - A teenage passenger was killed in a two-vehicle collision on Route 31 at Lucas Road in Madison County this afternoon.
Authorities said the victim's body was under a tarp near one of the two crushed vehicles at the scene. The body was removed from under the red tarp shortly after 4 p.m.
A red sports utility vehicle was upside down on the south side of Route 31 and a dark blue van was sitting on the same side of the road. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage.
A witness said the westbound red SUV was trying to pass a school bus when it struck the van head-on, causing the SUV to flip over the top of the van and land on its roof.
Doug Sims, of 981 state Route 31, was sitting in his yard when the crash happened across the street. He said both drivers were seriously injured; the van's driver was hanging out of the vehicle for 10 minutes unconscious before coming around.
The teenage passenger of the SUV was killed, he said. Both drivers were taken to Syracuse hospitals, troopers said.
"This is the worst accident spot right here," Sims said. At least nine crashes have happened in front of his house in the past year, he said.
Sims attributed the crashes to people trying to pass around slower vehicles, such as school buses, and motorists pulling into a nearby boat launch.
Officials from the 911 Center in Madison County indicated two helicopters had been called to respond to the scene. Authorities also reported five ambulances had been dispatched along with rescue personnel from several fire companies from both Madison and Onondaga counties.
The crash, reported to involve vehicles that had rolled over, was reported shortly before 3 p.m.
Staff writers Douglass Dowty and Jim O'Hara contributed to this report.