SUV strikes six teenagers in Lindenwold; one critically injured

Six teenagers were injured, one critically, when an SUV left the roadway and struck them on a sidewalk Tuesday afternoon, Lindenwold police said.

The victims range in age from 14 to 16. One teenager was trapped beneath the SUV and rescued before being flown to a hospital in critical condition, police said. The other five were taken by ambulance to area hospitals with injuries police described as not major.

The crash occurred shortly after 2 p.m. on Gibbsboro Road near Emerson Avenue, south of Lindenwold High School.

Police said the driver and a passenger were detained at the scene for questioning. No charges had been filed, and investigators were working to determine why the SUV left the road.

Dennis Woodley, who works at a supermarket across the street, told CBS News Philadelphia that he and his co-workers rushed over to help. Woodley said a co-worker pulled the driver from the SUV and that the driver began fighting with them.

Woodley said he restrained the driver until police arrived. His account of an attempt to leave the scene was not confirmed in the police information provided.

Helicopter footage showed the SUV stopped on the sidewalk near a damaged fence, with significant damage to its windshield. Emergency workers treated victims nearby.

Lindenwold Superintendent Kristin O’Neil said the district would make counseling available to students who needed support. She declined to discuss individual students or their medical conditions.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our Lindenwold School District families,” O’Neil said in a statement.

The Lindenwold Fire Department asked people to avoid Gibbsboro Road between Cooper and Emerson avenues while emergency crews responded.

A nearby field at Myrtle and Emerson avenues was designated as a landing site for the medical helicopter.