A teenager sustained injuries after he ran into a crash as he briefly looked away from the roadway to check the GPS of his vehicle. The teen was identified by the authorities as Patton Siewart, 18, of Springfield as per the latest accident reports.
According to a news release from the Illinois State Police, the accident occurred in Fayette County on Monday, August 24. Siewart was traveling northbound on the U.S. 51 at the time. As he drove near 900 North, he briefly looked away from the road to look at the GPS. The vehicle lost its balance as he did so and Siewart lost control.
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The vehicle then drove off the roadway and collided with a culvert. It then overturned before coming to rest. Patton Siewart was the only occupant of the vehicle at the time. No other vehicles or persons were involved in the incident.
The crash occurred in the afternoon and was reported to the authorities at around 3:30 p.m. Siewart sustained non-critical injuries in the crash. Once the first responders and paramedics arrived on the scene of the crash, Siewart was provided basic medical aid and then airlifted to an area hospital. Although his injuries were reported as non-life-threatening, it is not clear if he has been discharged from the hospital yet.
Preliminary investigations by ISP showed that carelessness on the part of Patton Siewart caused the crash. According to the latest accident reports, Siewart has been issued a ticket for improper lane usage. It is likely that drugs or alcohol were not contributing factors or Siewart would have faced far more serious charges from ISP.
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