Traffic was backed up for nearly an hour on Highway 321 just south of Boone after a head-on collision during rush hour on Friday afternoon.

Trooper David Hollars of the North Carolina Highway Patrol said six of the seven motorists were taken to Watauga Medical Center, but none of them suffered life-threatening injuries.

Trooper Hollars said at around 5:15 Friday afternoon a 2005 Honda CR-V was traveling south in front of Chandler Concrete on Highway 321 and swerved left of center to avoid a rear-end collision with a stopped vehicle ahead, but in doing so collided head-on with a 2009 Nissan van.

After the collision, the CR-V came to rest on its driver’s side.

Both passengers and the driver of the CR-V were taken to Watauga Medical, while three of the four occupants in the van needed medical attention.

The occupants in the CR-V were from the High Country, while the occupants in the van were visiting from Florida.

The driver of the CR-V was cited for driving left of center.

The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, Watauga Medics, Boone Firefighters, and the N.C. Highway Patrol all responded to the scene.