Eight Hemet teens injured in crosswalk collision expected to survive
Eight Southern California teenagers who were injured when a speeding pickup truck entered an occupied crosswalk after running a red light are expected to survive, according to a statement issued by the California Highway Patrol this week. Though accident investigators initially believed a 60 year old woman was also injured in the collision, they have since determined that she is unharmed. The Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley, where injured students were taken for treatment following the accident declined to give the media any information regarding the medical condition of the accident victims, but a representative from the California Highway Patrol has stated that the three students originally listed as being in critical condition following the accident are now expected to recover. These students were injured recently when a 1994 Ford Ranger driven by an 18 year old male collided with a group of students at a crosswalk outside of a Hemet, California, high school. The Ford Ranger was traveling at a speed in excess of the 25 mile per hour school zone limit in affect at the time of the accident. According to the California Highway Patrol’s accident report, the driver was not impaired by alcohol or illegal drugs at the time of the collision, and the driver has told law enforcement officials that the accident was caused by a mechanical malfunction. No charges have currently been filed against the teenager, and the cause of the accident is still under official investigation.
