Truck being driven by 12-year-old crashes, kills two

<p>A 12-year-old girl driving her father's pickup truck lost control near the end of her parents' dirt driveway in Long County and overturned into a ditch, killing herself and an 8-year-old neighbor.</p><p>The underage driver, identified as Shawnee McGowan, got behind the wheel of the Ford F-350 pickup Thursday evening at her parents' home in Ludowici, 55 miles southwest of Savannah, said Trooper Larry Schnall, a Georgia State Patrol spokesman.</p><p>Three other children _ including the driver's 2- and 4-year-old adopted brothers and a 12-year-old neighbor _ were injured in the crash and taken to an area hospital with injuries that weren't life-threatening, Schnall said Friday.</p><p>"The parents allowed their 12-year-old daughter to drive the truck to take out the trash or do some kind of errand on private property," Schnall said.</p><p>"We're going to be meeting with the district attorney to see if charges could come against the parents," he said.</p><p>The other girl killed in the crash was identified as 8-year-old Adrianna Seagar. Schnall described her as a friend and neighbor of the McGowans.</p><p>District Attorney Tom Durden did not immediately return a telephone call Friday seeking comment.</p><p>For children under 16, driving automobile or farm equipment on their parents' property is "common practice in the rural parts of Georgia," Schnall said.</p><p>But the truck Shawnee was driving ended up in a ditch along Roy Smith Road, a public road near her parents' home. The truck was owned by her father, identified as Shawn McGowan of Ludowici.</p><p>"Once they came onto public property, they caused an immediate danger to the public," Schnall said.</p><p>The Georgia State Patrol is still investigating the cause of the crash.</p>

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