Four people, including three teenagers, were seriously injured in an Arizona car accident early last Friday morning in front of Desert Ridge High School, the Republic reported.
Teenagers are at high risk for traffic accidents; almost 1,200 young people were killed in Arizona traffic accidents involving young people during the five-year period ending in 2008. And motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In this case, the teens were not at fault; their vehicle was eastbound on Madero when it was struck by a car that ran a red light while traveling south on Crismon Road, according to the Mesa Police Department.
Two 17-year-old boys were transported to local hospitals with spinal and head injuries; one of the teens, seated in the back seat, was thrown into the front of the vehicle by the impact of the collision. A 17-year-old girl in the front passenger seat was airlifted to the county hospital with a lacerated forehead.
The adult male driver of the other vehicle was taken to Scottsdale Memorial Hospital.
In 2008, a total of 4,130 Arizona car accidents were caused by a driver who disregarded a traffic signal, including red-light runners. Another 977 were caused by stop sign violations. A total of 32 people were killed and 2,300 were injured, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.