PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Seven juveniles were injured early Monday morning after the SUV they were traveling in had an “electrical malfunction.”
According to Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins, deputies responded to a single vehicle crash at about 2:40 a.m. The crash, notified to deputies by an iPhone collision alert, occurred in the 11800 block of North Hickory Grove Road, which is just past the intersection of Strathmore Court.
When deputies arrived, they found seven boys and girls inside the Chevrolet Tahoe. They each told deputies that they were driving south on Hickory Grove when the car had some sort of electrical malfunction, and all of the lights of the car went out.
The Tahoe drove off of the roadway, through an embankment and ramped up the other side into a tree, the sheriff said. All seven juveniles were taken to OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center for treatment. The five boys all had minor injuries.
One of the girls had several moderate to severe cuts to her arms and legs. Another girl, a 16-year-old, had a possible cut to her spleen, the sheriff said.
The owner of the car told deputies it had this electrical issue before.
The Tahoe’s driver was 17, the sheriff said. The ages of the other five people was not immediately known.