A car crashed into a tree early Sunday morning in Amherst, leaving the driver and a passenger seriously injured, and police say the driver initially ran from the scene before officers caught up with him nearby.
Officers responded around 2:57 a.m. to the crash on Chestnut Ridge Road near Edgewater Drive, according to WKBW. Police said a 2016 Chevy Cruze, driven by a 42-year-old man, went off the roadway and hit a tree while traveling southbound on Chestnut Ridge Road.
The driver fled the scene but was apprehended by officers shortly after, the station reports. He suffered serious abdominal and leg injuries and was hospitalized as a result. The passenger, a 34-year-old man, suffered serious head injuries and was also hospitalized, per the same account.
Police Seek Witnesses and Surveillance Footage
Amherst police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash, or who may have surveillance video from the area near Chestnut Ridge Road and Edgewater Drive, to come forward. The department asked that tips be directed to (716) 689-1311.
In a separate post on X, the Amherst Police Department also listed additional ways for the public to submit tips tied to specific case numbers, including a voicemail line, a text tip line, and an email address, though it's unclear whether that particular post was connected to this crash or another investigation handled by the department.
Not the First Serious Crash on an Amherst Roadway
This is not the only recent case in which an Amherst crash has left people with severe injuries. In a separate incident, two people suffered life-threatening injuries after a crash near 2457 Kensington Avenue, according to WIVB. Police responded to that scene just before 6 a.m. on a Tuesday.
In that case, the station reported, a 37-year-old Cheektowaga man was driving southbound when he crossed into the northbound lane and struck a tree and a utility pole. His 40-year-old wife, also of Cheektowaga, was in the car with him, and both were taken to ECMC to be treated for life-threatening injuries.
No further details have been released about the condition of the driver or passenger from Sunday's crash on Chestnut Ridge Road. Amherst police have not said what led the Chevy Cruze to leave the roadway, and anyone with information has been urged to contact the department.
