Pinckneyville teens injured in truck crash

An 18-year-old Pinckneyville girl is in Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis with major injuries following an 8:25 p.m. truck crash Tuesday on White Walnut Road at Park Road northeast of Pinckneyville.
There were five occupants in the crash of the 2004 Ford F150 truck that was towed by Emling’s Towing Service of Pinckneyville.
The sheriff's office says the Ford pickup was headed south on White Walnut Road when it left the road, hit the ditch, crossed the intersection of Park Road, and struck a utility pole. Investigators say a "distraction" in the truck led to the vehicle leaving the road, hitting a ditch, crossing the intersection and striking a utility pole.
The driver, Sierra Benbrook, 18, of Pinckneyville, was taken to Barnes hospital for treatment of major injuries. Benbrook was cited for failure to reduce speed, reckless driving, operating a vehicle with an expired registration sticker, and failure to wear a seatbelt.
The Perry County Sheriff's Office says two of the four teen passengers in the vehicle--Katherine Kelly and Tionna Hunt-- were also cited for failure to wear a seatbelt.
The wreck is still under investigation by Deputy Timothy Jablonski.