Thursday, February 25, 2010

Three Teens Injured in Crash Near Atholton

From HoCo PD:

Howard County police responded to a three-vehicle collision this morning that sent two teens to the hospital. The collision occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m. at the intersection of Quarterstaff Road and Freetown Road in Columbia.

Three teenagers were traveling in a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant westbound on Quarterstaff Road to pick up a fourth teen before heading to Atholton High School. The driver attempted to cross Freetown Road when the vehicle was struck by a 2007 Mack trash truck traveling northbound. Investigators believe the driver of the Mack truck had the right of way.

As a result of the impact, the Mitsubishi crossed the southbound lane of Freetown Road and struck a 2008 Volvo V70 station wagon at a stop sign on the opposite side of Quarterstaff Road.

The rear passenger in the Mitsubishi, Seung Lee, 17, of Ellicott City, was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected through a rear window. Lee was taken by ambulance to Shock Trauma with non-life threatening injuries.

The front passenger in the Mitsubishi, Morgan Hill, 18, of Clarksville, was transported to Howard County General Hospital as a precaution.

The driver of the Mitsubishi, a 17-year-old from Clarksville, was not injured. He was cited at the scene for negligent driving and violating a restriction of his provisional license by allowing a passenger to ride without a seat belt. He will not be identified because he is a juvenile facing charges.

The driver of the Mack truck, a private vehicle owned by Jenn-Kans Inc., was not injured. He is identified as Kelvin Louis Williams, 30, of Baltimore.

The driver of the Volvo, Robin Holt, 34, of Owings Mills, and a 1-year-old infant in a child safety seat in the back seat, were not injured.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know how fast this truck was going and what charges the driver is facing. Yes, the truck had the right of way, but at that time of day, Freetown Road is lined with cars, and the truck was either just leaving or entering a school zone. I realize the size of a trash truck, but he should not have been going fast enough to eject (partially or fully) a passenger. School zones are school zones for a reason. While legally, the teen was a fault, however, the truck driver is at fault, as well.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the post above me.

Anonymous said...

It is unreasonable to lay blame on the driver of the garbage truck, simply because of the size of the vehicle. A truck that size can do considerable damage even at very slow speeds if someone pulls in front of them. Following the logic of the first post, the driver of an SUV would automatically be at fault if a mini were hit.

Students (& all drivers) need to be more aware of traffic, follow the traffic laws, and be more aware of their surroundings & plan ahead. Obviosly these actions can't always prevent an accident but go a long way towards preventing them.