Montville – Three separate car crashes this morning in the area of exit 79 on Interstate 395 South ensnared 9 different cars and sent five people to the hospital with minor injuries.

The roadway was closed for more than an hour after the 9:30 a.m. crashes as state police responded to the scene, along with members of the Montville, Mohegan, Oakdale, Chesterfield and Quaker Hill fire departments.

Montville Fire Department personnel said five cars were involved in the first pile-up. The second involved a broken-down vehicle that was hit, and the third crash involved three cars.