An 8-year-old Cleveland girl remained in critical but stable condition Sunday afternoon after she was injured in a car crash in south Habersham County. The accident on GA-365 also injured the girl’s mother and 11-year-old sister.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, the driver of a northbound Honda Odyssey ran the red light at the Duncan Bridge Road intersection around 10 p.m. Saturday. The van struck the side of a Honda Civic driven by a 40-year-old woman from White County whose daughters were riding with her in the car.
Habersham EMS transported the woman and her older child to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. AirLife flew the younger girl to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. At the time she was in “extremely critical” condition, according to Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black.
A family member tells Now Habersham the young girl suffered two broken femurs and other fractures. She has undergone surgery and, as of Sunday afternoon, remained in critical but stable condition. Her mother also remained hospitalized. The 11-year-old was released from the hospital and family members say she is doing well.
Troopers identify the van driver as 62-year-old Vickie Craven of Lula. They say she was taken to Habersham Medical Center for treatment. Craven faces multiple charges, including two counts of serious injury, DUI drugs, failure to obey a traffic control device, and failure to maintain lane.
The accident temporarily shut down both lanes of the highway near the crash site.
The wreck remains under investigation, with assistance from the State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team.
This article has been updated
