Accident at Murphy and Grant

Pregnant woman critically injured in crash

June 23, 2009 - 6:34 PM

KEVIN BUEHLER|ODESSA AMERICAN
The Odessa Police and Fire departments work the scene of a two-car motor vehicle accident Tuesday evening at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Murphy Street. A pregnant woman, a man and three children were injured in the accident.

Five people were taken to Medical Center Hospital, including a pregnant woman who was in critical condition Tuesday evening after their Chevrolet Suburban collided with a Jeep Wrangler at Murphy Street and South Grant Avenue.

Paramedics came to the intersection at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday. They pulled the screaming woman out of the SUV's dislocated passenger seat and directly onto a stretcher, while two of the three children lied down on the street crying after the woman was loaded into the ambulance. The third child walked around with one side of her face and her shirt covered in blood. Several bystanders and police spoke to the man as he sat on the curb, his right arm blood-soaked as he hobbled . Behind him, the back of the Suburban's driver's seat was also blood-stained, CDs and snack chips littered around the floor.

Odessa Police Cpl. Caruy Sampson said the Suburban was heading west on Murphy Street while the Jeep Wrangler was headed south. Beyond that, the police have had conflicting stories on whether the Suburban or the Wrangler had the green light, but the two collided in the intersection and the Suburban was turned around almost 180 degrees and shoved into a business there, destroying a swamp cooler and damaging the northern wall.

Eyewitness Chris Nuno said he was driving north on Grant when he saw the crash. He said the Chevrolet ran the red light.

"It (the Wrangler) almost flipped it, it was so hard," Nuno said.

The uninjured driver of the Jeep declined to comment at the scene. No names were available for the five that were hospitalized.

Southbound traffic was blocked on Grant Avenue as police directed it onto Murphy Street. Sampson said they were calling in traffic investigators because of the severity of the injuries.

Check back at oaoa.com for updates.