By Jon Johnson
PIMA – A single-vehicle crash sent one teenager to the hospital by ambulance and another for precautionary checks on Monday after the Jeep they were riding in left the roadway and rolled into a muddy ditch around lunchtime.
Graham County Sheriff’s deputies, Pima Police, and Pima Fire Department and EMS crew responded around 1 p.m. to the incident, which occurred on a rural dirt road.
The vehicle, a 1993 Jeep Wrangler, was occupied by three teenage boys at the time of the crash. The Jeep came to rest on its side in the ditch after the driver reportedly encountered mud while traveling at an undetermined speed on E. Center Street, just east of S. 600 East Street. The road borders Pima but is technically in the county, making it a Graham County Sheriff’s Office call. While E. Center Street is paved along the front of the school, to the east of 600 East, it is a dirt road.
One of the teens was transported by ambulance to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for evaluation of a possible head injury. A second teen, who showed no visible injuries, was picked up at the scene by his mother and taken to the hospital for precautionary examination, according to the GCSO. The third boy remained at the scene, seated and alert, and was reported to be uninjured.
Sheriff’s officials said the initial information points to a combination of speed and slick, muddy road conditions as the primary causes of the crash.
A tow truck was called to remove the heavily damaged Jeep from the ditch.
The crash remains under investigation by the Graham County Sheriff’s Office.
