Teen Trapped for 18 Hours Likely Fell Asleep at Wheel: Police

Investigators say a Pennsylvania teenager who was trapped her SUV for more than 18 hours after a crash likely fell asleep before the accident.

Eighteen-year-old Mount Joy, Lancaster County, Pa. resident Brooke Spence remains in fair condition after being trapped after her vehicle crashed late Saturday along Marietta Avenue in West Hempfield Township. Police say the injured Spence was trapped in underbrush by a creek until a neighbor noticed the vehicle while getting ready to grill on his deck Sunday evening.

He found Spence calm and conscious, and had his wife call 911. Spence had lost her cellphone in the accident and was unable to call for help.

The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era reports police said Wednesday that neither alcohol nor speeding was a factor; investigators believe Spence may have fallen asleep.

"It is still my belief that inattentive driving was a contributing factor in this crash," said West Hempfield police Cpl. Douglas Ober in an e-mail to the paper. "My investigation has found absolutely no indications that she was involved in any illegal acts prior to the crash and do not suspect texting was a factor as well."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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