5 family members injured in I-5 crash

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5 family members injured in I-5 crash Five members of a Washington family were injured or shaken up � two seriously � early Sunday when the 18-year-old driver fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into the back of semi-truck on Interstate 5 near Ashland. The driver suffered a crushing injury to a foot and ankle and his 38-year-old father fractured his leg when their white 1997 Chevrolet passenger van hit the truck at what Ashland rescue personnel called a "high rate of speed." Two boys ages 13 and 10 suffered cuts and bruises in the 12:20 a.m. accident; another child of unknown age and gender was not hurt, according to Ashland firefighter Robert Stephens. Rescue workers worked up to 45 minutes extricating the two men from the van, which was severely damaged. They credited the proper use of safety devices with preventing more serious injuries. "The bottom line reason these guys were alive today was air bags and lap and shoulder seat belts," Stephens said. Two Ashland ambulances and the Oregon State Police were called to the accident at Milepost 16 on southbound Interstate 5. Traffic was blocked for about two hours, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. The victims were taken to Rogue Valley Medical Center. Ashland fire officials declined to release the names or hometown of the van driver and other occupants; no condition report was available. The driver of the semi-truck was not hurt, and the rig was not seriously damaged.   Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2002 Mail Tribune, Inc.