12 Hospitalized After Car Fire on Route 9 [VIDEO]

Twelve people traveling in a dark blue van were hospitalized at Westchester Medical Center and Phelps Memorial Hospital after a crash in Scarborough tonight, Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Chief Michael King said.

The accident occurred in front of Scarborough Presbyterian Church on Route 9 after the driver of the van reportedly said he thought he was going to be cut off while traveling south on the road.

The driver swerved onto the grass on Scarborough Station Road and struck a utility pole before the car went up in flames.

"They made kind of a drastic turn, right onto the grass, and hit the telephone pole right on," King described.

Emergency responders closed off the southbound lane of the road after the accident was called in at approximately 10:20 p.m., police said.

Once fire personnel arrived at the scene, King said the car, which was "fully engulfed" in flames, was put out relatively quickly.

King said the injuries resulting from the accident did not appear to be life-threatening, but all people traveling in the van were hospitalized.

"Most of them were just cuts and lacerations to the head," he said.

As of 11:05 p.m. the van was being towed from the scene and a Con Edison truck arrived to assess the damage of the utility pole that was struck by the car.

The scene was cleared by 11:15 p.m.