Rachel Baldwin | Daily News Pictured are two vehicles which were involved in two separate accidents that occurred within 1,000 feet of each other on Route 52 in the Airport Bottom Community of Delbarton Wednesday afternoon. A total of five patients were transported to Williamson Memorial Hospital for injuries they sustained.

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Rachel Baldwin

Staff Writer

AIRPORT BOTTOM — Rainy weather and slippery road conditions contributed to two separate accidents with a total of six vehicles involved that occurred on Rt. 52 in the Airport Bottom community near Delbarton, that were approximately 1,000 feet from one another on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Sonia Smith, an eye witness to the accident, a white car had stopped in the middle of the road without using a turn signal, directly below a curve in the road which means it was hid from the view of traffic traveling in the northbound lane. The unknown driver, who left the scene, was attempting to turn into Airport Bottom from the main road. Smith was able to avoid colliding with the stopped vehicle but a 16 year-old juvenile behind her wasn’t as fortunate.

The juvenile, who was operating a Toyota Camry, clipped the rear of a Ford Fusion driven by Briona Smith, an 18 year-old Mingo Central Student, and then proceeded to collide head-on with a Chrysler PT Cruiser operated by Janelle Martin, who had her two young children in the vehicle with her. Smith and Martin, as well as her children, were transported by ambulance to the Williamson Memorial Hospital (WMH) for evaluation of minor injuries sustained in the accident. The juvenile had bruising to both legs and to his left forearm but was not transported from the scene for medical care. The PT Cruiser and the Camry are thought to be a total loss, according to members of the Delbarton Volunteer Fire Department (DVFD) who responded to the call.

Within a matter of minutes, a Chevrolet Colorado driven by a 17 year-old juvenile rounded the curve and was not able to stop his truck after seeing the line of traffic and made contact with two vehicles, a Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Melissa Teeters and a Saturn Aura operated by April Edwards. Both vehicles suffered minor to moderate damage but the Colorado was damaged extensively. The juvenile driver was transported to WMH and was said to have suffered a head injury and the women were uninjured.

The accident remains under investigation by Mingo County Sheriff’s Deputy Barry Moore. A total of 17 members of the DVFD responded to the scene and provided emergency medical care, traffic control and also cleaned up the scattered debris. Three of the vehicles involved were drivable but the remaining three were towed from the accident site.