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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Battalion Chief Steven Sapp - (573) 874-7557

Vehicle crash and resulting fire injures three Columbia teenagers

COLUMBIA, MO (August 24, 2005) --The Columbia Fire Department responded
to a report of a vehicle fire on the parking lot of the Tom Taylor
Building (Athletic Training Facility) at 1107 South Providence Road just
before noon on Wednesday, Aug. 24. 

Firefighters arrived to find a Chevrolet four-door passenger car
heavily involved in fire on the northwest corner of the parking lot.
Initial reports from witnesses indicated that the vehicle was occupied
by several individuals. 
After verifying that everyone was out of the vehicle, firefighters were
able to extinguish the vehicle fire in less then 5 minutes. 

Upon further investigation, it appears that the vehicle was eastbound
on Stadium Boulevard, when for an unknown reason, the vehicle left the
south side of the road, traveled up a grass embankment where it clipped
a tree and caught fire. The vehicle clipped a parked and unoccupied
vehicle on the parking lot before coming to a rest while in flames. 

A Columbia Police Department community service aide, John Anderson, was
on Stadium Boulevard and on the scene immediately. CSA Anderson observed
the front passenger had exited the vehicle. Anderson then removed the
passenger in the rear seat and afterwards then removed the driver of the
vehicle who was unresponsive. All of this occurred while the rear area
of the car was heavily involved in fire. Anderson is to be commended for
his actions. 

A retired Columbia firefighter and current Southern Boone County Fire
Protection District firefighter, Dan McGavock, called the crash in to
9-1-1 and then assisted CSA Anderson with patient care. McGavock was
behind the vehicle that crashed and provided an eyewitness account to
Columbia Police who are investigating the cause of the crash. 

University of Missouri Police are assisting the Columbia Police during
the crash investigation. 

All three patients appeared to be high school age males. None appear to
have suffered any burn injuries, but all were transported as Class II
patients, indicating that the impact of the crash may have caused
possible life-threatening injuries that will require diagnostic testing
at the hospital to determine. All three victims were transported to
University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics Level I Trauma Center. 

Columbia fire investigators are working with Columbia and UMC Police to
determine why the vehicle caught fire during the crash. From witness
statements and preliminary investigation, it appears that the fire
occurred when the vehicle struck a tree and ruptured the fuel tank. 

- 30 -
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