Careless driving without seatbelts proves a dangerous mix.
Saturday, 12:55 a.m.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported Ryan Ware, 18, Pace, was driving a 2005 Chevy Silverado with five other passengers: Trenton Freeman, 18, Pace, Allyson Hendrzak, 18, Pensacola, Tiffany Farrow, 17, Niceville, Joshua Longwith, 17, Pace, and Robert Ferguson, 19, Milton. According to reports, Ware lost control, travelling too fast for a sharp curve on Whiting Field Circle. Reports said the vehicle left the roadway on the east shoulder and struck a power pole, snapping it in half reports said. Power lines lay across the roadway before Escambia River Electric arrived to cut and remove them, according to reports. One passenger received serious injuries and four were taken to the hospital. Reports said only the driver was wearing a seatbelt. Ware was charged with careless driving, according to reports.
Sunday, 1:50 a.m.
According to FHP reports, a 1995 Chevy Silverado left the north shoulder of Johnson Road as driver Ciara Adams, 23, Milton lost control of the vehicle. Travelling too fast for the curve and hill, she over-corrected, reports said, and slid across both lanes of the road before striking a large Oak tree. It then rotated and knocked over a metal street sign and broke off a fire hydrant below the ground level, according to reports. All occupants, reports said, were transported to the hospital, with passenger Heather Phillips, 33, Milton listed in critical condition. According to reports, only the driver was wearing a seatbelt. Charges are pending in this case, according to reports.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: FHP: Weekend accidents send people to hospital