Six people were injured and one child was airlifted to Vanderbilt following a crash in front of Three Star Mall on Saturday.
Airlifted to Vanderbilt by LifeForce helicopter was an 11-year-old boy whose name was not revealed due to his being a juvenile. The name of the driver of the vehicle in which the boy was injured, a 16-year-old, was not revealed. Driving the other vehicle was Amy Caldwell who had three passengers including Nick Aldridge and two children, ages 10 and 6. All six victims were treated for injuries.
According to McMinnville patrolman Ben Cantrell, the accident happened around 11 a.m. at the intersection of Sparta Street and Three Star Mall in front of the main entrance to the mall parking lot. A preliminary investigation revealed the teen driver had pulled into the turn lane in front of the mall entrance in her Pontiac Sunbird and was trying to make a left turn into the mall when she entered the path of Caldwell’s oncoming Chevy, which was headed out of town on Sparta Street. The resulting collision saw a side impact of the smaller Sunbird’s passenger side, hitting directly where the most seriously injured victim was sitting.
Officer Cantrell said both motorists had a green light but the Chevy truck had the right of way since he was traveling straight and the car was trying to make a turn across the oncoming lane. The teen was cited for failure to yield.