A pre-dawn crash on Interstate 40 in McIntosh County left a 17-year-old passenger dead and six others injured early Wednesday, after a westbound vehicle veered off the highway and slammed into a tree near mile marker 254.
The collision happened shortly before 5 a.m. Authorities said one passenger was ejected from the vehicle and later died. The driver and five other passengers were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries.
Crash details
According to FOX 25, the vehicle was traveling westbound in the inside lane when it left the roadway and struck a tree at mile marker 254. The station reports the 17-year-old was seated behind the driver and was ejected from the vehicle.
The accident report cited by the station lists six injured people, the driver and five passengers, all transported to hospitals for treatment. Specific conditions were not released in the initial report.
Ejection risk and seat belts
Ejection from a vehicle sharply increases the likelihood of a fatal outcome, especially on high-speed corridors such as I-40. Federal crash data show that occupants who are totally ejected are far more likely to die, and that lap-and-shoulder belts significantly cut that risk.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that seat belts lower the risk of fatal injury by roughly 45 to 60 percent depending on vehicle type, with preventing ejection as a major factor in keeping occupants alive (NHTSA).
Investigation
Troopers and local first responders responded to the scene and began piecing together what led up to the crash, FOX 25 reported. Officials had not released the names of those involved in the initial report.
Authorities are continuing to investigate and have asked anyone with information about the crash to contact local law enforcement as they work to determine exactly how the early-morning wreck unfolded.
