Girl, 15, crashes after high-speed chase in Durham
DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A 15-year-old girl was lucky to escape with what law officers called non-life threatening injuries after being ejected from her vehicle during a high-speed crash.
The Highway Patrol said the young driver was involved in a chase with the Durham County Sheriff's Office late Thursday night.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle on Roxboro Road when they suspected the driver may have been impaired.
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The driver would not stop and led deputies on a chase. At some point, a tire blew on the vehicle, but she continued to drive several miles on three tires.
At Infinity Road and Goodwin Road, the girl lost control, ran off the road, went airborne and hit a power pole, troopers said.
"Oh it's horrific," said Deb Kinney, a homeowner in the area. "So somebody clearly came through our front yard, hit our culvert and then went flying up into the tree here, sort of wedged between the tree and the power line."
The girl was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.
The teen, who has not been identified, was injured and taken to Duke Hospital.
"The car was headed toward me. It was going really fast," said Barbara Anderson, an eyewitness to the crash. "Just before (the driver) hit me, our eye locked and (the driver) jerked the wheel the other way."
Troopers said the girl had taken a family member's vehicle. Her family did not know she had taken the car.
The Durham County Sheriff's Office is pursuing juvenile charges against the driver, troopers said.
The Highway Patrol continues to investigate the incident.
