Seven teenagers were injured, two critically, when their car struck a tree following a police chase in Alachua County on Tuesday morning.
Shortly after 4:10 a.m., a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis was traveling southbound on County Road 235. The vehicle’s driver, a 17-year-old girl from Jacksonville, was attempting to evade an Alachua Police Department officer who had previously attempted a traffic stop, according to the Florida Highway Patrol incident report.
Six passengers were inside the vehicle: a 14-year-old boy from Alachua, a 15-year-old boy from Alachua, a 13-year-old girl from Gainesville, a 14-year-old girl from Gainesville, and two 17-year-old girls from Gainesville.
The driver was traveling southbound, near NW 164th Terrace, when she lost control of the vehicle. The report indicated that the vehicle spun off the roadway and onto the grass shoulder where the rear driver’s side of the vehicle collided with a tree.
The vehicle came to a rest on the grass shoulder.
The driver and six passengers were all transported to UF Health Shands Hospital. Two of the passengers, the 14-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy, were critically injured in the crash. The driver and remaining passengers all sustained serious injuries.
The names of the driver and passengers were not released, per FHP policy.