Two children, two adults injured after a car driven by Alex Ponomarov crashes into a minivan at an intersection of State Route 44 near Simsbury, Connecticut

A 44-year-old man was charged with driving under the influence Friday night after causing a three-car accident on Route 44 that injured two children, police said. Several fire departments responded to crash, which happened at the intersection of Route 44 and Old Albany Turnpike near the Simsbury town line about 6:21 p.m. According to police, the first vehicle, driven by Alex Ponomarov, turned left from Route 44 onto Old Albany Turnpike and struck the side of a minivan that was traveling in the opposite lane of Route 44. The minivan flipped onto its side, fire officials said. The driver of the minivan and two children who were passengers in the vehicle were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, police said. Their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, fire officials said. A third vehicle suffered front-end damage in the crash, police said. The driver was taken to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington. The driver's condition was unknown Friday night. Ponomarov was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Police said that a witness observed him driving erratically prior to the crash. Route 44 was closed while police and fire officials cleared the scene.