FARMINGTON — A 17-year-old driver from Eustis was injured and five vehicles were wrecked when he failed to stop for police and crashed on Routes 4 and 27 Wednesday morning, Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said in a news release.

The teen, who was not identified because charges are pending, was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital for medical and psychological evaluation, Nichols said. 

Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office received a call at around 11:30 a.m. of a driver in a blue Ford pickup truck speeding south on Route 27 and passing cars on the left and the right, according to the news release.

Deputy Kevin Hartley encountered the truck at Routes 27 and 4 in Farmington and was almost hit head-on by it. Hartley turned and followed the vehicle into Farmington, where speeds of 75 mph in a 30-mph zone were recorded, the news release said.

The driver lost control of the truck at Horns Corner near the World War I monument, striking a fence and a tree in front of a home. The truck continued on, hitting two SUVs and a pickup truck in the parking lot at ACME Engineering and Medulla Hair Salon. The teen’s truck rolled over on its roof and hit a highway sign, propelling it through the windshield of another car, Nichols’ statement said.

Besides the five demolished vehicles, the fence, a tree and plants at the house and concrete pillars around the parking lot were destroyed.

The juvenile is facing charges of driving to endanger and eluding an officer, among other possible offenses, the sheriff’s statement said.

Assisting police at the scene were Farmington Fire Rescue Department and NorthStar EMS Ambulance.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net 

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