A helicopter transported an unidentified woman to Centra Lynchburg General Hospital after the Ford Explorer in which she was a passenger crashed head-on into a tree late Wednesday afternoon.

Prospect Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Chris Morgan said he was driving home with his son on the same road as the crash.

“It happened almost in front of me,” Morgan said; he called in the accident himself at 5:34 p.m.

The crash took place on Route 652, just up from the intersection with Peaks Road off U.S. 460 near Prospect. It appeared the Explorer veered off the left side of the road for a short time before hitting the tree.

In addition to Prospect, Morgan said the Meherrin, Pamplin and Prince Edward rescue squads all responded to the scene. Also on hand were at least one officer from the Virginia State Police, which is investigating the accident, and members of the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Office.

In addition to the woman flown to Lynchburg, Morgan said two other victims were taken by ambulance to Centra Southside Community Hospital in Farmville “to be checked out.”

Emergency crews used Glenn Memorial Baptist Church on nearby Harris Creek Road as a landing zone for the helicopter.