(COLDWATER) – Two Coldwater High School students were injured Saturday night in a two vehicle Steuben County traffic accident.
18-year-old Oliver Winter and 17-year-old Clarissa Sheppard were flown to Parkview Regional Medical Center following the accident which took place at the intersection of State Road 120 and County Road 600 East at about 10:00 p.m..
A friend of Winter’s posted on social media said he and Sheppard are okay but have a lot of recovery and healing ahead of them.
One of Winter’s friends accepted his diploma during graduation ceremonies on Sunday. Meanwhile, the crash happened just hours after Sheppard competed in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Girls Track Finals where she finished ninth in the long jump and 12th in the high jump.
The Steuben County Sheriff’s Department says Winter was driving a 2013 Ford F-150 pickup truck when it failed to yield the right of way to an eastbound 2004 Pontiac that was driven by 20-year-old Christopher Hahn of Defiance, Ohio.
After the collision, Winter’s pickup went out of control. It then struck a tree on the drivers side, pinning Oliver and Sheppard inside.
After they were freed by rescue crews, the two Coldwater teens were flown to Parkview Regional Medical Center by Lutheran Air and Life Care.
Hahn and a passenger were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The Sheriff’s Department says the crash is still under investigation. They add everyone involved in the accident were wearing seatbelts and alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash.
