Five Teenagers Injured In Crash

Five teenagers were hospitalized Monday night, at least one with life threatening injuries, after their speeding car slammed into a tree in north Spokane, authorities said.

Witnesses said the four-door sedan was headed south on Market Street near Francis Avenue about 8:30 p.m. It suddenly veered right, leaving no skid marks on the road or sidewalk.

The car smashed into a large tree and uprooted several others in front of a house at 6611 N. Market. The impact of the collision pushed the engine into the front seat.

The wreck and downed trees blocked traffic on Market for several hours.

When firefighters arrived, witnesses had already pulled the teenagers from the wreckage and doused a small fire under the car. A person was attempting CPR on one of the youths.

“The bystanders were doing one excellent job,” said Lt. Duke Philips of Morgan Acres Fire District 6. “They had everything set up for us.”

Philips said four of the victims were taken by ambulance to Deaconess Medical Center. The critically injured teen, who was driving the car, was airlifted to the hospital.

The names and ages of the teenagers were not immediately available.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, the Washington State Patrol said.

, DataTimes