Eight hospitalized after rural car-versus-tree crashes

Eight are hospitalized after a pair of single-vehicle car-versus-tree crashes Wednesday night in rural Rock County.

A 15-year-old Beloit girl faces multiple charges after apparently taking her mother's SUV without permission and attempting to elude Rock County Sheriff's officials on West Spring Creek Road in the Town of Newark. Officials say the vehicle was clocked at 59 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. When an officer tried to stop the vehicle, the officer lost sight of it periodically. It appears the 15-year-old tried to avoid being pulled over by speeding up and turning the SUV's lights off periodically. The girl lost control of the vehicle, it struck a tree and rolled. The girl and her four passengers, ages 12 through 16 and all from Beloit, were treated and released from Beloit Memorial Hospital for cuts and bruises. The driver faces charges of speeding, reckless driving, causing bodily harm by reckless driving, causing injury by knowingly operating without a valid driver's license and failure to fasten safety belts.

A 22-year-old Clinton man also faces charges related to a different car-versus-tree accident Wednesday night.

Ryan L. Clark was driving northbound on South Bergen Road in the Town of Clinton when he lost control of his van and struck a tree. He had to be extricated from the vehicle with the Jaws of Life. He was flown to Rockford Memorial Hospital and was listed in fair condition. One of his passengers was flown to St. Anthony's hospital in Rockford, where he was listed in critical condition and undergoing surgery. A third passenger was treated and released from Beloit Memorial.

All three were cited for failure to fasten safety belts and Clark was also arrested for causing injury by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle.