Car Accelerates, Crashes at Ohio High School

NORTON -- It was the worst possible time to crash a vehicle at Norton High School.

In the five-minute window when students empty into the parking lot Thursday afternoon, the mother of a junior at the school drove her four-door sedan head on into a guard rail surrounding a stairwell at the high school.

"The timing was about as bad of timing as you can have. The end result was at least positive in that no one was hurt," Ryan Shanor, principal at Norton High School, said. "She did a great job not hitting anybody because it was right at dismissal."

No one, including the driver or an older daughter in the car, was injured.

Air bags deployed upon impact, noticeably rattling the driver, Shanor said. He added that had the driver hit the school directly, "she would have put a hole in the building at the speed she was going."

The principal said the driver told him that the vehicle's "accelerator got stuck and [she] couldn't stop."

Firefighters had to help free the woman from the crumpled car.

Shanor said the parent was taken away by ambulance.

Police said the mishap is under investigation. Authorities say the woman's injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792 or dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.

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