2 children, 2 adults hospitalized after crash in Lebanon
Four people were hospitalized, including two children, after a car crash Saturday involving seven people.
A car carrying two adults and two children and a truck carrying three adults collided Saturday at the intersection of Illinois 4 and U.S. 50, sending both vehicles into a deep ditch. Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to tear off the roof and doors off the car in order to extricate the occupants trapped inside.
One child and the adult male driver were airlifted by ARCH helicopters, and another child and female passenger were taken to a hospital in an ambulance, police said. A spokesman for Lebanon Fire Department said he didn’t know the full extent of the occupants’ injuries.
The occupants of the truck were not severely injured and did not go to the hospital.
Lebanon Police Chief David Roth said the car was traveling on U.S. 50 and turning onto Illinois 4, and the truck was driving southbound on Illinois 4.
Dave Sickler, who was an EMT for 15 years, was inside Casey’s General Store near the accident at the time. Sickler said he ran out to help when the vehicles crashed into the ditch.
“I went to the driver in the car, and he was unconscious and really having deep breathing issues,” Sickler said. “I stabilized his head and neck and kept his airway open. He had pretty serious lacerations and facial injuries.”
Sickler said the man’s wife was in the passenger seat and 9-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy were in the backseat. None of them seemed seriously injured, and they were all conscious, Sickler said.
“My focus was on the man because he was seriously injured.” Sickler said. “The kids were crying loudly, which is a good sign that they weren’t too hurt.”
Mascoutah, Lebanon and O’Fallon police and fire departments responded to the call, as well as two ARCH helicopters.
Return to bnd.com for more on this developing story.
Kaley Johnson: 618-239-2526, @KaleyJohnson6
This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 8:42 PM with the headline "2 children, 2 adults hospitalized after crash in Lebanon."