An afternoon crash sent four people to the hospital Wednesday in Lackawanna County. Local emergency responders said the intersection is partially to blame.

It's the section of Route 6 near Carbondale where the Casey Highway ends and Route 6 continues east towards Waymart.

Firefighters said it's a dangerous stretch of road and Wednesday's bad crash is another reason why it should be made safer.

Firefighters said four people were injured, three of them seriously, when three vehicles crashed on Route 6 just after noon.

Responders said the driver and passengers of a sport utility vehicle were seriously injured.

The driver of a pick-up truck was also sent to the hospital.

The man behind the wheel of the tractor-trailer was shaken up but wasn't hurt.

The driver of the rig said he was coming from Waymart. He came down the hill when the SUV pulled out right in front of him. He said there was nothing he could do to avoid it.

Firefighters said the SUV driver was thrown from the vehicle and landed under the pick-up truck.

The crash shut down the highway for hours as crews helped the injured and cleaned up about 300 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled from the tractor-trailer.

"Thought it was going to be another fender bender like it normally is. When we got on scene we found a vehicle rolled over, one ejected, several patients," said Carbondale Township Fire Chief Tim McDonald.

He added he responds to the intersection at least once a week. "The overall construction of the intersection makes it very difficult for people turning to access the Carbondale area. Also it's extremely difficult for people exiting Carbondale, heading east towards Honesdale," McDonald said.

The chief said he has begged PennDOT for safety improvements before. In 2003, rumble strips were built to slow down drivers.

A PennDOT spokesperson said a safety study was done after that but there are no current safety improvement plans for that section of Route 6.

PennDOT said drivers are ultimately responsible for making safe driving decisions.