Pickup Flips Off Road, Injuring Three Teens

Three Stevens County teenagers were injured, one critically, in a one-car accident early Sunday on state Highway 25 four miles south of Fort Spokane.

The accident occurred at 5:30 a.m. The pickup, traveling north, flipped off the right side of the road on a left turn. It rolled twice and stopped in a ditch. None of the four passengers was wearing seat belts, according to the Washington State Patrol. Three of them were taken by helicopter to Spokane hospitals.

Heather D. Fitzgerald, 17, of Valley, Wash., suffered a broken neck and a broken right ankle, according to the Washington State Patrol. Fitzgerald was listed in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

The driver, Curtis A. Franks, 19, of Valley, suffered a ruptured liver, broken ribs and head injuries. He was listed in serious condition at Deaconess Medical Center.

Lisa J. Farrell, 19, of Chewelah, suffered a broken pelvis. She was listed in serious condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

The other teenager in the car, Joshua T. Erickson, 17, of Valley, was not seriously injured.