Passenger taken by CareFlight after being thrown from van during crash

One person was taken to the hospital by CareFlight Thursday morning after a serious two-vehicle crash in Clark County, Lt. Brian Aller, OSP Springfield Post Commander said.

Crews responded to the crash at the intersection of East Leffel Lane and Selma Road around 9:30 a.m.

The driver of a truck was distracted while traveling east on Leffel Lane when he failed to realize the light turned red. He then struck a minivan driving south on Selma Road.

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The passenger of the van, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the back window and landed underneath the van.

“We stopped moving, I looked around and couldn’t find him,” Chris Collier, the driver of the van said. “I got out and looked around and seen his legs underneath the back and a couple bystanders helped me lift it and get him out.”

The 60-year-old passenger was taken to the hospital by CareFlight in an unknown condition, Aller said. The driver was uninjured.

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“This kinda goes into what we’ve been talking about for years about seat belt safety and how important they are,” Aller said. “Even as a safe driver somebody could make a mistake at you and the safest place to be is inside that vehicle secure in your seat... so when you have a seat belt on and a crash occurs your stationary, your in place, you can't be ejected."

The identities of all three occupants in the crash were not immediately available, along with the condition of the driver of the truck.

This crash remains under investigation.