Two teenagers were seriously injured late Friday night in a rollover crash in Boone County.
The crash happened shortly after 11 p.m. on Route J at West Drane Road. A 2024 Chevrolet Impala was traveling north with five people inside when the 16-year-old driver reportedly lost control. The vehicle went off the road and overturned.
Four of the five occupants were ejected from the vehicle during the crash. The driver and a 16-year-old passenger suffered serious injuries and were taken to a local hospital. Two other passengers, a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and were also taken for medical treatment.
The four injured occupants were not wearing seatbelts. A fifth passenger was not listed as injured.
Rollover crashes are especially dangerous because occupants can be thrown from the vehicle when they are not properly restrained. Ejection greatly increases the risk of serious or fatal injury because a person may strike the ground, the vehicle, or nearby objects with significant force.
This crash shows why seatbelt use is critical for every person in a vehicle, not just the driver. A seatbelt cannot prevent every injury, but it can help keep occupants inside the vehicle and reduce the chance of being ejected during a rollover.
Drivers also have a responsibility to maintain control of their vehicle and adjust to the roadway, speed, passengers, and conditions around them. Conduct that leads to a rollover crash and causes multiple young people to be thrown from a vehicle should be taken seriously and addressed under the law.
