Teens thrown from car in wreck at foggy Tri-Cities intersection. 5 sent to hospitals

Four teens were sent to the hospital after a crash on foggy rural Franklin County roads Tuesday.

The teens were in a car on Russell Road when the driver missed the stop sign at Glade North Road, Undersheriff Monty Huber told the Tri-City Herald. The car hit the side of a pickup, causing it to roll.

Witnesses said two of the teens were thrown from the back of the car.

The four teens and the pickup’s driver, Martin Flores, 49, of Basin City, were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries.

Flores has been released, but the teens remain in the hospital. Huber said while their injuries were serious they are not life-threatening. Three of the teens have been through surgery since the crash.

The driver has been unconscious since the collision.

Benton and Franklin counties were hit with a dense fog advisory on Tuesday, leaving drivers with reduced visibility.

Investigators have not been able to determine how much of a role fog played in the crash, Huber said.

Deputies are continuing to investigate the wreck. Huber said they plan on using the data from the vehicles to help determine what happened in the moments before the crash.

The sheriff’s office is asking drivers to slow down and make sure their headlights are turned on when driving in fog.