FOUR WAKEFIELD teenagers were seriously hurt when the 2001 Toyota Corolla they were in smashed into a tree on Vernon Street yesterday. (Photo courtesy of WCVB Channel 5)

 

 

WAKEFIELD — Four juveniles, all from Wakefield, suffered serious injuries after the car they were in crashed into a tree on Vernon Street yesterday afternoon. Wakefield Police and Fire Departments responded to the single-car crash at about 2:45 p.m.

Wakefield Police were the first to arrive and found the 2001 Toyota Corolla with heavy damage resting against a large tree. Police stabilized the scene and the Fire Department and Cataldo Ambulance paramedics arrived shortly thereafter.

The front and rear occupants on the passenger side, both 16, were reportedly able to get themselves out of the car and were on the front lawn of 131 Vernon St. when first responders arrived. They were both taken to Lahey Hospital in Burlington with serious injuries.

The 17-year-old driver and the 16-year-old passenger in the rear on the driver’s side were both trapped inside the vehicle, according to first responders. Wakefield firefighters worked to free the occupants using hydraulic tools to push back the dashboard and remove the roof and driver’s side doors.

The driver was taken by ambulance to Veterans Field to a waiting MedFlight helicopter and flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The driver’s side rear passenger was taken by ambulance to Mass General.

According to Wakefield Police, the car was traveling north on Vernon Street when the crash occurred just before the intersection of Vernon and Salem streets. Police said that based on a preliminary investigation, it appeared that speed may have been a factor in the crash.

Paramedics from the Lynnfield and Reading Fire Departments assisted Wakefield first responders at the scene.

The crash is under investigation by the Wakefield Police Department, with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.

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Another serious car accident drew first responders to the area of 58 Hopkins St. at about 7:15 p.m. yesterday.

Arriving Police and firefighters found a 2009 Nissan Murano on its roof in a front yard just before the Hopkins Street Bridge on the Wakefield side. The car was leaking gasoline and the driver, a 60-year-old Wakefield woman, was trapped inside.

Firefighters were able to force the driver’s door open and get the woman out of the car. She was taken by Cataldo Ambulance to Lahey Hospital in Burlington complaining of head and chest pain.

According to police, the driver faces charges of driving on a suspended license