May 20, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
Six people including four teens enroute to the high school graduation were involved in a three vehicle crash Friday evening at the intersection of West Broad Street and Anthony Avenue.
Three of the teens are age 17 and the other is 15. Smithville Police did not release their names because they are minors.
According to Smithville Police Captain Steven Leffew, a 17 year old girl, driving a 2005 white Chevy Cavalier, was turning left (West) onto West Broad Street from Anthony Avenue and crossed the path of an eastbound 2001 Ford F-150 blue truck, driven by 59 year old Ricky Dowell of Alexandria. Dowell’s wife, 57 year old Shelia Dowell was a passenger with Ricky. A 17 year old girl was a passenger with the teen driver in the Cavalier.
Although Dowell swerved trying to avoid a collision, his truck hit the Cavalier, and then struck another vehicle, a westbound 2007 white Ford truck FX4 Off Road, driven by a 17 year old boy. Riding with this teen was a 15 year old girl.
According to the police report, the teen driver of the Cavalier told officers that it was raining really hard and she could not see very well. The girl said she pulled out on to West Broad Street and never saw Dowell’s truck.
Dowell told police that the teen driver of the Cavalier never stopped at the intersection stop sign at West Broad and Anthony Avenue and pulled out in front of him.
Both Ricky and Shelia Dowell were transported by EMS to St Thomas DeKalb Hospital as were the two teens in the Chevy Cavalier. The teens in the Ford FX4 were not injured.
The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department was also on the scene providing assistance.
The crash was investigated by Officer Tyler Patterson of the Smithville Police Department.