Legal News for Alabama SUV Accident Attorneys. An I-65 SUV rollover accident resulted in one teen fatality and left five others injured in northern Alabama.
Alabama SUV accident lawyer alert- Fatal SUV rollover crash near Athens, Alabama resulted in numerous injuries.
Athens, AL—A deadly SUV rollover crash resulted in one teenage casualty and left five others injured at approximately 1 p.m. Friday, April 16, 2010. The single-vehicle wreck occurred along Interstate 65 near Athens, Alabama. The eight SUV occupants were heading back to their homes in Kentucky when the unfortunate accident happened, as reported by Cincinnati.com.
According to information provided, 17-year-old Katherine Russo was driving a 2004 Honda Pilot sport utility vehicle along I-65 when she reportedly tried to pass an 18-wheeler but veered off the side of the roadway instead. Upon doing so, Russo allegedly overcorrected and lost control of the Honda, subsequently causing it to careen into the median and flip over, ejecting six of the vehicle’s eight occupants. The vehicle continued to swerve across the southbound lanes after the initial SUV rollover crash occurred, coming to a stop on the right shoulder.
Emergency medical services (EMS) crews responded to the scene of the tragic SUV rollover accident to transport those injured to area hospitals for treatment. All of the students riding in the SUV at the time were Notre Dame Academy (located in Park Hills, Kentucky) high school seniors. One student identified as 17-year-old Maria Schaffstein, seemingly succumbed to her severe injuries at the north Alabama crash scene. Five other students, excluding the driver, Katherine Russo and another passenger, suffered injuries ranging from minor to critical. The other Notre Dame Academy students were identified as 17-year-old Jordan Zumdick, 18-year-old Krista M. Noll, 17-year-old Jessica A. Russo, 17-year-old Catherine Ammerman and 18-year-old Megan E. Downing.
Katherine Russo and 18-year-old Megan Berberich were the only two students not ejected in the SUV rollover, seemingly prompting police authorities to believe they were the only two students wearing seatbelts at the time. Both south and northbound lanes of I-65 were closed off to public motorists pending preliminary accident investigations, according to Alabama Highway Patrol (AHP) spokesperson Curtis Summerville. A full investigation is expected to be underway.
Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan- Legal News for Alabama SUV Accident Lawyers.