Three people hospitalized, over a dozen cars involved in pileup on Route 9 in Newton

Crews were hard at work Sunday night restoring order to a major Newton roadway after slippery roads caused a mass motor vehicle pileup.

According to Newton Deputy Fire Chief Erick Fricke, 12 to 15 cars were involved in the pileup and three people had to be transported to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

“It’s the first snowstorm of the year. I think it caught everyone unaware,” said Fricke. “Fortunately, most of the damage you see is to the cars and not the drivers.”

Boston 25 News photographer Adam Liberatore captured the parked cars, some sporting mangled front ends, littering the usually bustling roadway.

“In the 20 minutes I was on the drive home, I think I passed maybe three accidents,” said driver Dana Sobel. “That’s the hard part about the first snowfall. I feel like people haven’t driven in snow in a while.”

The Shops at Chestnut Hill is located close by.

First responders originally started receiving calls for the series of crashes at 4:30 p.m.

One driver at the scene said that it did not appear the road was salted.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW