A teenager faces charges after authorities say he was driving distracted Thursday afternoon when he caused a four-car wreck that sent five people to the hospital.
The juvenile, 17, was headed east on Browns Bridge Road near the Forsyth County line in a Ford Escape when he allegedly started to feel tired, and looked away from the road. That's when he sideswiped a Subaru Forester, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The Forester spun out and went airborne, before landing on its top and sliding into oncoming traffic, where it was hit by a Ford Expedition.
The Expedition eventually caught fire, but the occupants were able to get out of the vehicle before it was fully engulfed.
Meanwhile, the teenager's Escape then sideswiped another vehicle, which came to rest on the shoulder.
Five people were injured, according to troopers, and all are expected to be okay. All were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.
The teenager is charged with failure to maintain lane and failure to exercise due care, the latter of which is related to distracted driving.
The roadway was closed for about two hours around noon as crews worked to clear the scene.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/6/414587/distracted-driving-leads-to-multi-car-injury-crash-in-hall-county