Two cars collided on the corner of Comstock Avenue and Marshall Street on Monday afternoon, resulting in minor injuries to one of the drivers.

The crash occurred at about 3:50 p.m. in front of the Park Point apartments, said Sgt. Gary Bulinski of the Syracuse Police Department. A 1998 Dodge pick-up truck was driving east on Marshall when it pulled into the path of a 2010 Chrysler van that was headed north on Comstock, he said.

The driver of the van, a 61-year-old woman from Syracuse, complained of minor back pain and was taken to Crouse Hospital as a precaution, Bulinski said. Her name will be released once her family is notified of the accident, he added.

The pick-up truck was driven by 41-year-old Jennifer Nelson of Clinton, N.Y., he said. She was not injured.

No tickets were issued and both vehicles were towed from the scene, Bulinski said.

Michael Yormark, a senior entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major, said he didn’t see the crash, but called 911 after hearing the noise outside. It took 38 minutes for the police and fire department to respond, he said, and an ambulance didn’t respond for another five or 10 minutes after that.

Marybeth Gayne, general manager of Park Point, also heard the crash and called 911. She confirmed the response time.

“I started timing it because I was so shocked by how long it was taking,” she said.

Bulinski said police got the call at about 4:18 p.m., about 28 minutes after the crash occurred, and dispatched a car one minute later after they got a call about a possible injury.

“So I guess the only thing is what happened in those 28 minutes or so it took for police to be notified,” he said.

The response for a 911 call varies depending on the severity of the situation and type of call, Bulinski said. Accidents that involve injuries are classified as “priority one,” and the nearest car is dispatched to the scene, he said.

Minor accidents with no injuries are “priority two,” and the next free squad car in that zone responds, he said. Sometimes, people don’t feel the pain right away and don’t complain of injury until police respond, he added.

Anytime someone complains of back pain, the fire department is automatically called, he said.

As police officers and tow truck operators began to move the damaged cars from the site at about 4:45 p.m., debris lay scattered in front of the Park Point apartment building, a few feet from where the pick-up truck came to a stop on the edge of the sidewalk.

Said Park Point general manager Gayne: “I’m so glad no students or residents were standing there when it happened.”

Published on April 29, 2013 at 8:37 pm

Contact Jessica: jliannet@syr.edu | @JessicaIannetta