• 23
  • February
    2011

The return of more seasonable weather to Huntsville and Monday's federal holiday don't appear to have cut down on the number of car accidents, if President's Day is any example. Three wrecks on Monday resulted in five people being injured -- two of them with head injuries, and one of those a 15-year-old girl.

At 3:12 p.m. on Monday, three people were injured in a smash-up on Ryland Pike in the Brownsboro area. According to HEMSI chief operating officer Don Webster, a 15-year-old girl who was riding in the front passenger seat of one of the vehicles sustained neck, back and head injuries. Webster didn't tell the Huntsville Times what hospital she had been taken to, or whether she sustained a brain or spinal cord injury.

The driver and passenger of the second vehicle were also injured in the crash. The 48-year-old male driver and his 50-year-old wife were also transported to a hospital.

The second wreck occurred at around 4:45 p.m. on Zierdt Road and Edgewater Drive in Madison. It is not clear if the car accident involved more than one vehicle, but one driver was trapped in his car and had to be extricated by members of the Madison fire department and the Madison County Rescue Squad. The man was taken to a hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition on Monday night.

The third crash was a motorcycle accident. The 56-year-old motorcyclist wrecked his bike at about 6:06 p.m. at the intersection of Bailey Cove and Chesterfield roads in south Huntsville, Webster said. The biker sustained a head injury, along with some cuts and scrapes. He was taken to the Huntsville Hospital emergency room, where a hospital spokesperson said he was in good condition.

It's always important to take care when driving or riding, but it's easy to let our guards down when traffic is light and there is no obvious hazard from the weather. Take a moment and remember to focus on safety.

Source: The Huntsville Times, "Three wrecks send five people to hospital," Keith Clines, February 21, 2011