One girl dead, two badly hurt in Champion accident

CHAMPION — A Southington girl was killed and two passengers seriously injured in a single-car accident at 11:37 p.m. Monday on State Road.

The driver, Christie Manchester, 17, of Southington was driving her 1994 Pontiac Grand Am westbound. The car left the right side of the road on a straightaway across from Meadow Brook Cemetery, hitting two trees.

None of the girls was wearing a seat belt. None of them were ejected from the car. Manchester was dead at the scene, the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Southington said.

Ellen Becker, 18, of Struthers, a rear-seat passenger, was flown by helicopter to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where she remains in critical condition, the Highway Patrol said.

The front-seat passenger, Kaylynn Barco, 17, of Southington was transported to Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

Sgt. Jeff Klem of the highway patrol said alcohol does not appear to be involved in the accident, but so far there has not been any explanation for what caused the car to leave the road.

There were no tire marks to indicate that the car missed a curve or otherwise left the road prior to the accident, Klem said. The car left the road in a straight line toward the trees, he said.

The patrol talked to Barco, who said she didn’t know what caused the accident, Sgt. Klem said, adding that crash investigators plan to talk to her again and are continuing to investigate.

One thing is clear, Klem said: “Very simply, seat belts were not used in this. Seat belts would have limited the injuries and prevented the fatal injuries.”