Weather part of problem in high school crash
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Speed and slick roads almost led to a deadly situation at Safford High School on Thursday afternoon.
Student Shannon McRae, 17, lost control of a 2007 Jeep Liberty she was driving and plowed into a parked GMC van in the school’s north parking lot at about 1:13 p.m.
The impact of the collision caused the van to slam up against another parked car, a white Pontiac Grand Prix, nearly pinning a student who was between them. The student was knocked to the ground and not seriously injured.
According to the Safford Police, McRae said she was running late for a class at Eastern Arizona College and lost control on the road’s slippery surface.
Police Chief John Griffin said motorists should take care to drive slower when there is inclement weather.
“It looks like she was going too fast, skidded on the asphalt and plowed into the van,” he said. “It’s lucky nobody was seriously hurt.”
According to Griffin, since the accident took place on the private property of the school, the only traffic offense McRae could have been cited for was DUI or reckless driving.
He said McRae wasn’t under the influence, and he did not feel the accident met the requirements for reckless driving, so McRae was not cited. She was found at fault, however, and will have to deal with insurance company claims.
