A traffic accident blocked U.S. 15-401 Bypass for more than an hour Saturday.

A 2005 Ford passenger van driving on Main Street towards U.S. 15-401 Bypass failed to brake as it approached two cars in the left-most turning lane, a Laurinburg police report said. It collided with the one car just before 7 p.m., forcing it into the car in front of it.

One car stopped in the intersection, the other stopped facing north on the shoulder of the south-bound side of 15-401 Bypass while the passenger van went through the intersection, knocked down a fence and went across a service road before colliding with several trees.

One car in front, a 2005 Dodge, sustained $4,000 in damage while the other, a 1996 Honda, took $9,000 in damage, the report said. The van had an estimated $4,000 in damage. All three cars had to be towed.

There was also about $200 in damage to the downed fence, which is property of N.C. Department of Transportation.

The driver of the van, 53-year old Lawrence Nestle of Groveland, Fla., was found at fault and was charged with failure to reduce speed.

One person suffered lacerations to their head from the collision and several people were taken to Scotland Memorial Hospital by EMS for treatment.

Police and rescue squads blocked off the intersection while the scene was cleared of the vehicles and debris.