A section of Airport Road near Cerrillos Road was closed for hours Tuesday night while police and emergency crews dealt with a serious traffic accident during the Tuesday evening rush hour.

Four people were taken to the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in serious condition and another person fled the scene of the accident on foot, according to police.

Capt. Aric Wheeler said he had few details about the crash, and investigators were trying to determine exactly which direction each vehicle was heading. Wheeler said it was unknown Tuesday night if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.

Three vehicles were involved, but the most heavily damaged were a tan Ford pickup that rolled onto its top just west of the Calle Atajo intersection and a silver Acura that sustained heavy damage to its entire body.

Two teenagers were removed from the Acura with the help of the Jaws of Life. A third man reported to be in the Acura during the crash left before police arrived.

“We believe that the driver of the Acura fled the scene on foot,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler said reports indicated that the man, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, fled north toward the Las Acequias Subdivision and was hopping residential fences. “We are unsure as to why he fled the scene,” Wheeler added.

Wheeler said investigators would interview the two teenagers in the Acura to determine who the suspected driver was.

A man in his late 50s driving the truck was transported to the hospital, as was a man in his late 30s who was driving a gold Dodge Stratus in the left-hand turn lane off east-bound Airport Road. Wheeler said none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening.

Traffic between Cerrillos Road and Meadows Drive was blocked off in both direction for several hours Tuesday night as police processed the scene.