New York State Police are investigating four separate crashes that occurred at the same spot on the same morning on State Route 690 near the town of Van Buren. The four crashes involved 11 vehicles and snarled traffic for miles while the wrecks were cleared.

It all started at approximately 7:45 a.m. in the southbound lane near Exit 4 on Wednesday. The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office was the first to respond after receiving a personal injury crash report. New York State Police troopers followed.

In the first crash, the New York State Police reports, a 2009 Hyundai operated by a 17-year-old female struck a 2012 Volkswagen. The driver of the Hyundai suffered a minor injury and was transported to Upstate Hospital. She was also ticketed for following too closely.

The second accident was a doozy

While that was going on, traffic slowed on State Route 690. That’s when a man ran his 2023 Ford pickup truck into the rear end of a 2024 Ford pickup that was towing a trailer. The impact pushed the 2024 Ford truck into a 2021 Ford van that was also towing a trailer, causing the 2023 Ford pickup to become airborne and hit a 2023 Jeep. The 2023 Ford truck driver blamed the glare of the sun for his failure to reduce speed. The Jeep driver sustained a minor injury and was also transported to Upstate University Hospital.

Shortly after that, a 2020 Mazda rear-ended a 2019 Chevrolet. The Mazda driver was issued a ticket for following too closely.

Then, a 2019 Hyundai struck a 2023 Mazda that had stopped on the road due to the multiple accidents. The Hyundai driver also blamed the glare of the sun for failing to slow down. The Mazda driver sustained a minor injury and declined medical transport. The Hyundai driver was given a ticket citing unreasonable speed for conditions.

On top of all that, several other cars were driven off the highway to avoid the carnage. It took until 10:35 a.m. for the highway to be fully reopened.