Town of Caroline, NY (Sept. 17, 2026) – Two drivers suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash on Slaterville Road (NY-79) in the town of Caroline early Thursday morning.
According to New York State Police, the crash happened around 6:50 a.m. in the 3300 block of Slaterville Road. Troopers say a 2010 Chevrolet HHR driven by 42-year-old Jeffrey Belden of Richford was traveling east when it collided head-on with a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox driven by 32-year-old Donovan Flanigan of Newark Valley, who was heading west.
Belden had to be extricated from his vehicle by the fire department before being taken by ambulance to Cayuga Medical Center, then flown by helicopter to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for further treatment. Flanigan was taken by ambulance to Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital.
The State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit responded to help determine what happened, and the investigation remains open.
How New York’s No-Fault Law Affects This Claim
New York is a no-fault state, which means each driver’s own insurance is expected to cover initial medical bills and lost income regardless of who caused the crash. But no-fault coverage has limits, and it does not pay anything for pain and suffering. To go beyond that and pursue the driver actually responsible, an injury has to meet New York’s legal definition of “serious,” a threshold that injuries requiring extrication and treatment at a trauma center, like the ones in this crash, are likely to clear.
Once fault is established, either driver here, or anyone hurt in a similar head-on collision, may be able to pursue the at-fault driver directly for what no-fault does not cover: additional medical care, long-term lost income, and pain and suffering.
An attorney can get your no-fault claim moving now, while also protecting your right to pursue the larger claim once the investigation identifies who was actually responsible.
Contact Our Binghamton Car Accident Attorneys
Sorting out a no-fault claim while a fault investigation is still open takes real coordination between your own insurer, the other driver’s insurer, and the police. Our Binghamton car accident lawyer team manages exactly that kind of coordination for clients throughout Tompkins, Tioga, and Broome counties.
Reach us at (888) 997-3889 if this crash affected you or someone you love. A consultation costs nothing, and if we take your case, our payment depends entirely on the result we get you.
