5 injured after teen with learner’s permit crashes SUV
Five people were taken to the hospital after a teenage driver with a learner’s permit lost control of an SUV and smashed into a tree, according to Sandy Springs police.
The wreck happened on Johnson Ferry Road near Barnard Place about 10 p.m. Monday, police spokesman Sgt. Sam Worsham said Wednesday in a statement.
Sad crash: SUV filled with teens veers off road and crashes into tree. Three students critically injured. Police are now looking into the cause. Live report at 4pm. pic.twitter.com/A4UpaEAgRi
— Tom Regan (@tomreganWSB) March 20, 2019
A 16-year-old was driving a Ford Expedition with four other teens inside, Worsham said. Three of the passengers are 15 years old and another is 17.
The teen lost control of the SUV and hit a tree on the side of the road, according to police.
"Some reason (the driver) lost control of the car, and overcorrected, and the vehicle went out of control and left the roadway," Worsham told Channel 2 Action News.
Developing: SUV full of teens veers off the road and strikes a tree. Three are in critical condition. Police say the 16 year driver only had a learners permit. Live report at 4pm. pic.twitter.com/xkFdpDOvKN
— Tom Regan (@tomreganWSB) March 20, 2019
Worsham said everyone in the SUV was taken to a hospital. Three of the teens are in critical condition, he said.
Police do not believe drugs or alcohol had anything to do with the crash, but it is possible the driver was distracted and took her eyes off the road, Channel 2 reported.
According to investigators, the teen was driving on an instructional permit, which is granted to 15-year-olds who have successfully passed a written exam. Teens with that sort of permit are only allowed to drive while accompanied by a license passenger who is at least 21 years old, according to the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
An investigation is ongoing.
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About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
