Four Minors Injured and three hospitalized after collision in Shelby NY

By: Brieann Rich, Wintergreen News

The Shelby Fire Department responded, along with a Medina Fire Department Ambulance, to a reported vehicle into a pole at 5163 South Gravel Road (State Route 63) Shelby NY around 8:24pm Tuesday, October 27^th 2009.

Upon arrival, Shelby Fire Chief Tim Fearby found a Ford Mustang crashed head-on into a power pole. The four occupants had been removed from the vehicle by Charles Dalton, a good Samaritan from Buffalo NY, who witnessed the accident.

Chief Fearby assumed incident command and requested additional ambulances from the Medina Fire Department and Mercy Flight out of Buffalo NY. Chief Fearby also requested National Grid to secure the unstable power pole.

According to Dalton; The Mustang was traveling north on State Route 63 at about 55 or 60mph when it just drifted off the road and collided head-on with the pole. “They never hit their brakes or slowed down, they just drifted off the road and hit the pole”, Dalton said. “They hit the pole so hard it lifted up the car and spun it around sideways”.

When he saw the smoke from the airbag deployment, Dalton said he thought the car was on fire, “so I broke out the passenger window and got the kids out of the car”. Dalton was assisted by his passenger, Karson Heubusch of Warsaw NY.

One 13 year old passenger was treated on scene, by Medina Fire Department paramedics, for potentially life threatening injuries then transported to a nearby landing zone where patient care was transferred to Mercy Flight, of Buffalo NY, and flown to Children’s Hospital in Buffalo NY.

The two other passengers, ages 15 and 16 years, were treated on scene and transported by the Medina Fire Department Ambulance to the Medina Memorial Hospital. The New York State Police Detectives were waiting at the hospital to question the patients as to the cause of the accident.

The driver of the vehicle, a 17 year old female, refused treatment on scene and was transported to the hospital by private vehicle, officials said.

Three New York State Troopers were on scene to conduct the investigation, photographing and measuring every aspect of the scene.

National Grid secured the pole to prevent it from kicking out when the vehicle was move away from it. The power lines were not snapped by the collision but the power was shut off to the area as a precaution while the firefighters, Paramedics, Troopers and Tow Truck Operators worked around the pole and the vehicle.

Lyons Collision, of Medina NY, was called to the scene to secure and remove the vehicle. Before the vehicle could be towed, Ancel and Jeff Lyons had to carefully move the vehicle away from the power pole to prevent further movement of the pole and damage to power lines.

State Route 63 was closed for more than three hours. No further information regarding the cause of the accident or the condition of the patients was available at the time of this article.

1 Car MVA - 5163 South Gravel Rd

1 Car MVA - 5163 South Gravel Rd

1 Car MVA - 5163 South Gravel Rd

1 Car MVA - 5163 South Gravel Rd

1 Car MVA - 5163 South Gravel Rd

1 Car MVA - 5163 South Gravel Rd