By STEPHEN SMITH
stephen@du2.byu.edu
A young boy was thrown from a vehicle after the car he was riding in was struck by two other cars at an intersection in north Provo on Monday afternoon.
The boy was riding in the back seat of a northbound Chrysler convertible that was turning left onto 4800 North, off University Avenue, at about 3:30 p.m. Sgt. Gary Hodson, with the Provo Police, said the car was being driven by a 16-year-old male from Houston.
A third boy was riding in the front passenger's seat of the convertible.
The driver of the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic and was struck by southbound Kenny Mazzanti, 51, of Afton, Wyo., HOdson said. The force of the collision spun the convertible into the other southbound lane, where the vehicle was struck again by Don Ezola, 33, of Cedar Valley, he said.
The vehicle came to rest in the southwest corner of the intersection on both wheels.
Matt Ohran, 28, of Provo, arrived at the scene soon after the accident occurred. He said when he arrived the small boy was lying on the sidewalk with a large gash on his head. The gash was a result of being thrown from the car and hitting the ground, Ohran said.
He also said the boy appeared to be about 10 or 11 years old. The third boy appeared to be 12 or 13 years old.
Because someone else was already helping the boy, Ohran assisted the driver until medical help arrived.
'The driver kept saying, 'The light was green, the light was green,'' Ohran said.
He added that he tried to keep the driver from moving. However, because the driver was concerned about the younger boy and the driver of the other vehicle, he was difficult to calm down, Ohran said.
The two boys involved were apparently cousins, Ohran added. Although all three boys and the other drivers appeared to be injured, the youngest boy seemed to be hurt the worst, he said.
The three boys and Ezola were transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Hodson said. Mazzanti and his wife, who was riding in the car with him at the time of the accident, were transported to Orem Community Hospital.
According to the respective hospitals, the two older boys, Ezola, Mazzanti and his wife were treated and released. The boy who was thrown from the convertible was listed in stable condition in the pediatrics unit at UVRMC.