Whitley teen injured in weekend crash

Emergency crews spent about two hours extricating a Williamsburg teenager following a single vehicle crash early Saturday morning on Ky. 904.

“The impact squashed the dash and pinned his legs. The airbag deployed on the front side. It probably saved his life,” said Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Meadors.

Justin Goins, 16, of 980 Old Corbin Pike, crashed on Ky. 904 sometime between 4 and 4:30 a.m. when his black Ford pick-up left the road and bounced off one tree before striking another.

“The person that called 911 said they heard a loud crash and then they heard someone screaming,” Meadors said.

The impact caved in the dashboard and trapped Goins inside.

“It took about two hours to cut him out of the truck. The truck was actually resting on its side against a tree,” Meadors said. “We actually had to pull it away from the tree a little bit to work with the Jaws of Life.”

Whitley County EMS transported Goins to Baptist Regional Medical Center for treatment, and later he was taken by ambulance to the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

Emergency helicopters couldn’t fly due to the weather, Meadors said.

Goins suffered a broken right femur in the crash, but Meadors said that he’s not sure about the extent of other injuries.

Goins was the only one inside the vehicle.

No drug or alcohol involvement is suspected. Slick roads probably played a factor in the crash, Meadors said.

“He was a young driver. They said that he had only had his license for about a month. It was snowing and sleeting at the time of the accident,” Meadors added.

Patterson Creek Volunteer Fire Department and Shelton’s Wrecker Service assisted at the scene.