14-year-old dead, another teen injured in fiery two-car crash in Columbus
Columbus police have released the identity of a teenage girl who died following a fiery two-car crash Tuesday afternoon in Columbus' South Central Hilltop that also injured another teen.
Haleigh Abshire, 14, sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash and was transported in critical condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, Downtown, where she died at 1 p.m., police said.
A second juvenile was taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital in serious, but non-life-threatening condition, police said.
According to a release from Columbus police issued late Tuesday night, officers responded at 12:26 p.m. to the intersection of West Mound Street and South Highland Avenue, just a block away from Hilltonia Middle School, on a report of a traffic crash.
The Columbus police Accident Investigation Unit said two cars — a Hyundai Sonata car and a Lincoln MKC — were traveling eastbound on West Mound Street when they collided with each other near the intersection of South Highland Street. One of the vehicles caught fire, but police did not say in the release which vehicle caught fire.
One person, identified later by police as Abshire, was extricated from the burning vehicle by Columbus firefighters and transported to Grant Medical Center, Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Geitter told The Dispatch Tuesday afternoon.
Other people in the vehicles at the time of the crash fled the scene on foot and police said they have not identified who was driving the vehicles involved in the crash, the release said. Police did not address in the release whether either or both of the vehicles involved in the crash were stolen or speeding at the time of the crash.
The Columbus police Accident Investigation Unit is handling the investigation into the crash and the detective in charge of the case could not be reached Tuesday night.
Any person with knowledge of the involved drivers and others involved who fled the scene is encouraged to contact the Accident Investigation Unit at (614) 645-4767. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.
@ShahidMeighan
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Haleigh Abshire,14, dies after 2-car crash in Columbus' Hilltop
