Teen drivers collide head-on in Eagle; 1 extricated, 1 cited

A 16-year-old Eagle girl was taken to the hospital, but largely as a precaution after she survived another driver’s SUV plowing into her pickup truck Thursday night.

Crews from the Eagle and Meridian fire departments and Eagle police responded to the crash at Park Lane and State Street at about 9 p.m.

The 16-year-old was headed east on State Street, then began to turn left onto Park Lane with the signal. The SUV, driven by a 17-year-old from Meridian, was westbound on State and didn’t stop.

“It looks like she drove through the red light and hit the pickup truck head-on,” said Patrick Orr, spokesman for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, which handles police duties in Eagle.

Both drivers were lucky to avoid serious injuries, said Nevil Humphreys, battalion chief with Eagle Fire Department.

The 16-year-old “was pinned underneath the pedals a bit, so they had to remove the door and they flipped the flap on the top: cut the top of the car off,” he said. “(Then) they were able to work on just getting that pedal off her.”

That girl got out, shocked and scraped, and was transported to the hospital as a precaution, he said.

The 17-year-old was cited for running the light, Orr said.

Speed was a factor in the crash, but also slick roads, said Humphreys. He urged drivers to take it slow when dealing with this week’s snow and ice.

“Still there’s a lot (of drivers) that just keep driving like it’s 80 degrees and sunny,” he said.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 7:21 AM with the headline "Teen drivers collide head-on in Eagle; 1 extricated, 1 cited."