• 16
  • March
    2011

Three teens were taken to Huntsville Hospital late Monday night after a single-vehicle car accident in Madison, which was serious enough that the driver of the car was trapped in the vehicle. Madison Police are still trying to piece together what caused the teen driver to lose control of his car.

According to Madison Police officers, the teens were in a Toyota 4Runner SUV on Monday night, March 14. They were headed southbound on Hughes Road in Madison just after 11:00 p.m. when the driver of the SUV apparently lost control of the vehicle. The SUV traveled down the road's embankment, narrowly missing the sign for the Asbury United Methodist Church, then continued on for about 100 yards before slamming head-on into a tree in the church's parking lot.

After the car accident, the young driver was trapped in the SUV for about 10 minutes while firefighters fought to free him. A HEMSI emergency services crew then took the three injured young men to Huntsville Hospital. Their names and conditions were not released to reporters because they are juveniles.

Night driving particularly dangerous for teens

A 10-year nationwide study by the Texas Transportation Institute released in May found that the single greatest risk for teen drivers is to drive at night, and that risk can be compounded if a teen is using a cell phone while driving. Police are still investigating the cause of this accident, but there was no report that the teen was texting or using a cell phone.

The Texas Transportation Institute study suggested that, due to their inexperience with driving, teens often underestimate the risk of car accidents due to darkness and fatigue.

Source: WHNT-TV Huntsville, "Three Madison Teens In Overnight Wreck Transported To Hospital," March 15, 2011