Driver, 16, cited under new law

WARREN -- A 16-year-old motorist has been charged under a new state law that limits the number of passengers in a vehicle.
Stephen Gabrovsek, of North Bloomfield, has been cited into Trumbull County Family Court on a charge of a juvenile being prohibited of having more than one nonfamily member in a motor vehicle unless with a parent or guardian.
He also was cited for failure to yield as a result of a March 9 two-vehicle crash in North Bloomfield in which Gabrovsek's two passengers remain hospitalized and he and two other people were also injured.
Sgt. Randy Skaggs of the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Southington post said that as far as the patrol knows, Gabrovsek is the first teenager in Trumbull County to be cited under the new law.
The law became effective three days before the accident, which did not involve alcohol.
The patrol's headquarters in Columbus said it doesn't have the capabilities to know if this is the first citation for the law in the state.
What happened
The patrol said that Gabrovsek was driving his car westbound on Flagg East Road in North Bloomfield and drove through a stop sign at state Route 45, striking a vehicle driven by Darrel Atkins, 55, of Orwell.
Passengers in Gabrovsek's car, Laura Weaver, 17, and her 18-year-old cousin, Beth Weaver, were injured.
Laura Weaver remains in critical condition in St. Elizabeth Heath Center, while Beth Weaver remains in Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center. Beth Weaver's mother said Wednesday that her daughter will soon be going into physical therapy.
Atkins was treated at the scene and his son, Toby Atkins, 24, of Orwell, a passenger, has been released from a hospital. Gabrovsek also has been released from a hospital.