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Multiple crashes involve area youths
State police said Robert Liggett, 16, of Avella, was driving east about 11:20 p.m. and as he approached the crest of a hill on a curve, the car started to spin out of control. The car went off the road with the passenger side striking a tree.
Liggett and two passengers, Danielle Perrin, 14, and Sunnie Liggett, 13, both of Avella, were injured. Another passenger, Drew Keenan, 15, also of Avella, was not injured. State police said all four wore seat belts.
Avella fire Chief Eric Temple said three helicopters landed in a field off Painter Lane to take the injured teens to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.
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The crash is one of three involving young people on roads in northwestern Washington County on Monday.
Jessica Lynn Kern, 16, of Claysville, escaped injury when her pickup truck went off Scenic Road (Route 231) south of Route 844 in Independence.
State police said her truck was going south about 1 p.m. when it failed to negotiate a curve. It went off the road and rolled on its right side.
An hour later, Sarah E. Gossett, 22, of Avella, was injured when her car crashed on Route 844 west of Route 331 in Hopewell Township. State police said she was driving east when she failed to negotiate a curve. The car went off the road, hit a tree and overturned. Police said she was ejected from the car.
Gossett was flown to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh from a landing zone set up at a farm near the crash scene. She was listed in fair condition Tuesday.
crashes : 6/17/2009
WHEN ARE PARENTS AND CHILDREN GOING TO REALIZE THAT DRIVING IS A MAJOR PRIVLEDGE AND TAKES FULL ADULT ACTION AND THINKING. THANK GOODNESS NO ONE WAS KILLED.
The Accidents : 6/17/2009
Your brilliant reporter forgot the mention that PennDOT tarr and chipped sporadic sections of 844 and 231. In doing so they rolled the gravel into the tarr and left all the excess on the road. PennDOT's poor practices and cheap methods of repair are to blame not our youth. The gravel should have been cleaned up as soon as they were done with that section. At the very least they could have posted signs "LOOSE GRAVEL NEXT 10 MILES!!!!!!" but they couldn't even do that. You weren't even able to drive the speed limit on either road with all that gravel. And the Observer has the gull to blame the drivers!?! I tell you if you're doing 45mph and hit an unposted patch of loose gravel especially on a turn you don't stand a chance. That's the real scoop on this story.
bad roads : 6/17/2009
Ask yourself why these accidents happen. Could it be youth? Probably. But I would also say that PENNDOT is messing up the roads. They tar and chip certain sections of these very roads that these kids wrecked on, making them very dangerous. I'm so happy the state saved some money on the roads while these kids wrecked their cars and nearly died. I hope it's worth the few extra dollars they saved. Maybe we need someone to die in order to get this "patch" work to go away and get real roads done the correct way.
Teenagers........ : 6/17/2009
I wonder if these kids were "texting"....that will be the cause of many accidents, injuries, and deaths.
loose gravel : 7/6/2009
These kids were not texting!! I am the mother of one of them and the loose gravel is to blame. Thank goodness nobody was seriously injured. i drive these roads all the time and i cant go the spped limit because when they gravel areas of these roads the cars slide in the loose gravel. all these accidents happened on turns where there was loose gravel!! These kids are not at fault. If I, being 40 years old cant drive without sliding when i hit those loose gravel areas then how can we expect in experienced teens to not slide and wreck. Penn dot needs to clean up the gravel before somebody gets hurt or killed.
