GRANGER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Sunday night crash in Granger Township that left four teens in the hospital has the sheriff’s office reminding young drivers to simply slow down.
David Balnave stared in disbelief at the site where his 16-year-old daughter Olivia Balnave could have died.
“I can't believe that rock saved their life, and it's amazing that one of the four actually walked out of the car,” said Balnave.
Olivia was one of four teens involved in a single-car accident off State Road near Wilbur on Sunday. Following the crash, one of the teens had to be extracted from the car and transported in a medical helicopter to the hospital.
Monday afternoon at the scene, debris still covered the yard, and marks were clear on the tree where the car hit. The car wrecked in front of Gary Vandenberg’s house around 10 p.m. He told News 5 that he heard a loud noise as he was about to go to bed, then when he walked out, he saw the accident.
“The car was wrapped around the tree, three girls were out just screaming off the top of their head, and then the fourth one was still trapped,” said Vandenbergs.
Sgt. David Pries with the Medina County Sheriff's Office says the crash is still under investigation, but it's clear the car was speeding and the driver was a 16-year-old under probation, which means she can only have one person in the car above the age of 21.
“We had a driver that was 16, and we had three passengers that were not family members. We do this to keep everybody safe on the road,” Pries said.
According to Ohio’s Office of Public Safety, crashes involving drivers between the ages 15-25 have grown in the past three years. In 2022, there were 290 youth-related crashes, which is almost 24% of all crashes.
“Follow the rules more than anything in the world. If it says that you can't have more than one passenger outside of the family, don't have them,” said Pries.
Balnave said he's thankful his daughter is going to be okay.
“It could have been the worst day of my life; I could have lost one of my children, and thank God I didn't. Thank God he was merciful to those four kids,” said Balnave.
As a parent, he also hopes this is a lesson for every young driver.
“They really need to be cautious. I just found out from the sheriff that Medina County has some driving programs that are free of charge and I’m going to make sure all three of my daughters participate,” said Balnave.
The Medina County Sheriff’s said as of Monday afternoon, three of the four girls are home while the fourth is still in the hospital.
Started my night at a crash on State Road in Granger Township in Medina County. UH Medevac took one via helicopter that had to be cut from the SUV. At least one other transported by Copley FD walking and talking. Not much info yet but working the phones. pic.twitter.com/wlbrOVG7Ol
— Mike Vielhaber (@MVielhaber) October 23, 2023
