Editor's Note: in March, a serious rollover crash in downtown Kent involved five seniors from Theodore Roosevelt High School. Two of them were injured seriously.
In our latest update, we talked to the mother of the most seriously injured student, Zach Marlow, about how this past summer because of school time missed while in the hospital.
Below is the original story, republished today as one of the editor's picks for top stories of 2011.
Video: 5 Kent Roosevelt Seniors Injured in Rollover Crash
March 16, 2011
Five seniors at were injured Wednesday morning when the SUV they were riding in rolled over at the intersection of Crain Avenue and Lake Streets.
One of the passengers, Zach Marlow, was injured critically when he became trapped beneath the car.
Kent Fire Chief James Williams said Marlow had to be extricated before firefighters could treat him. He was then transported to Akron City Hospital.
"Our guys did a great job and got him out as quickly as they could," Williams said.
Marlow was listed in serious condition in the hospital's intensive care unit at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Superintendent Joseph Giancola said he had heard indirectly just before 5 p.m. Wednesday that Marlow had stabilized.
“My understanding is he is stabilized, so that’s good news,” Giancola said.
The other four passengers were transported to Robinson Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. They have not yet been identified and their conditions are unavailable, though fire personnel indicated their injuries were minor.
happened just after 11 a.m. Wednesday while the seniors were out during a senior option lunch break.
Witnesses reported seeing the gray Jeep Liberty they were riding in lose control and roll over in front of the Crain Avenue Bridge. A light rain was falling at the time of the crash, but whether or not the rain played a factor is unclear. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Giancola informed district parents with students at the high school Wednesday afternoon in an automated phone call. High school students were given basic information about the crash shortly after.
“I was there at the high school for a good part of the afternoon making sure the students (were) doing alright," Giancola said. "They’re pretty calm. They were going about their business of classes.”
He said the school's counselors have a crisis intervention plan in place to help students cope with such a situation, but they did not start it yet.
“We’ll have to take it day by day on that,” Giancola said.
