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Last updated on Thursday, November 10, 2011
(SULLIVAN) - A teenage driver may face traffic citations after a Saturday night accident in which 14 people were injured.
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Department investigated the two-vehicle accident at about 10 p.m. on U.S. 41 north of Sullivan on the bypass near Sullivan County Community Hospital.
Police say 19-year-old Rachel Martin was driving a Ford Windstar minivan south on U.S. 41 when she turned left across the northbound lanes into the path of an SUV driven by 45- year-old Kelli Searing, of Brazil. The minivan was transporting nine people, that police say, did not have enough seats for everyone.
Martin could be ticketed for seatbelt violations and will be ticketed for failure to yield the right-of-way.
The SUV contained four passengers in addition to the driver. The collision caused the minivan to spin around in the road and sent the SUV off the highway into a ditch on the east side of the road.
All 14 people were transported to area hospitals, including Sullivan County Community and Terre Haute Regional. Seven ambulances responded to the scene. Two people were airlifted to Indianapolis hospitals for treatment.
One occupant of the minivan sustained a possible broken pelvis and was taken to Methodist Hospital, while a passenger in the SUV was taken to St. Vincent Hospital for treatment of chest pain.
The minivan passengers told police they were en route to the courthouse square in Sullivan to hang out.
The oldest occupant of the minivan was 23, while four passengers were younger than 18. One of the passengers was later found out to be a 17-year-old runaway. No drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash.
Several of the passengers were treated for their injuries and released.
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