A 15-year-old who had not been wearing a seatbelt was seriously injured when a vehicle in which she was a passenger hit a tree Sunday in Alachua County.
Samantha Hopkins of Starke was transported to UF Shands Hospital after the accident at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, according to an accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
She had been a passenger in a 2012 Kia Optima driven by 16-year-old Jessica Terry of Starke. She had lost control of the vehicle, it left the roadway and struck a tree. Hopkins was thrown from the vehicle.
Terry and two passengers, 15-year-old Addison Andrews and 16-year-old Maycee Barnes both of Starke, suffered minor injuries and were treated at the emergency room at Shands. All three had been wearing their seatbelts.
Terry was ticketed on a charge of careless driving.
