State Police continue to investigate a car accident that left five injured Thursday in the Town of Sterling, including one person who needed to be airlifted to the hospital. It was the second serious crash in Sterling in less than 24 hours, but as our Candace Hopkins tells us, this accident could have been a lot worse.

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STERLING, N.Y. -- It was just after 11 a.m. when a Honda Civic and a tractor trailer collided at the intersection of State Routes 104 and 38 in the Town of Sterling.

"One front passenger was trapped inside the car, as well as a back seat passenger. They couldn't get him out," said State Trooper Vincent Abbate.

More than an hour passed before crews were able to free the two passengers and in the end, one was air lifted to Upstate University Hospital.

"That prolonged time period that it takes to extricate them, to get their responses in, to get them to the hospital, all plays a role into how fast we need to get them there," said Trooper Abbate.

In all, five people were injured, but police say this could have been much worse if the truck driver had not swerved to avoid hitting the car head on.

"I mean, he has a loaded tractor trailer, 80,000 pounds, coming at 55, you don't have a lot of time to maneuver. I mean it's kinda an enclosed area here, so he did a pretty good job of preventing any serious physical injury or death to the occupants of the car," said Trooper Abbate.

This was the second serious accident in Sterling in less than 24 hours. Wednesday afternoon, a pickup truck and a car collided at the intersection of Fintches Corners and Humphrey roads. Both drivers were air lifted to Upstate from that crash.

"With the summer time upon us and the nice weather that we've been having, more people are traveling, especially within this corridor to the lake, cabins, to try to get to the beaches, so please take it easy, don't be in a rush, pay attention," said Trooper Abbate.

That's simple advice, that if followed, could save lives.

Police say the driver of the car, McKayla Kaestle, 18, of Phoenix, was ticketed for failure to yield the right of way and for having a passenger under the age of 16 without a seatbelt.

The driver of the truck, Marvin Beeman, 52, of Oswego, was not injured.