3 people seriously injured in head-on crash

By Carrie A. Mizell

A Chiefland couple and a 32-year- old Trenton man were all taken to Shands Hospital last Wednesday afternoon following a head-on crash in front of the Gilchrist County Jail.
Carol Collins, 63, of Chiefland, was driving a 1997 Buick south on US 129 when she swerved to miss a car in front of her and instead, ran head-on into the path of a 2002 Chevrolet driven by Jonathan Kincaid of Trenton.

Rescue workers attempt to free Carol Collins from her Buick.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol’s report of the accident, Carol Collins was attempting to not run into the back of a 2003 Buick SUV driven by Marie Collins, 67, of Newberry. Marie Collins was reportedly stopped on US 129, while waiting to turn left, with her left turn signal on, when the accident occurred just after 1:30 p.m.
Reports indicate that both Carol Collins’ and Jonathan Kincaid’s vehicles spun in a clockwise rotation before coming to a complete stop. During the impact, Jonathan Kincaid’s vehicle also struck the SUV driven by Marie Collins.
Among those seriously injured in the accident was Carol Collins’ passenger, Robert J. Collins, 70. The driver of the SUV, Marie Collins and her passenger, Merl Sutherland, 70, of Summerfield, Fla. both escaped injury in the accident.
Carol Collins has been charged with Careless Driving.
At press time, Jonathan Kincaid was recovering at home from injuries sustained in the accident. His injuries included a fractured femur and tibia and a broken ankle. Kincaid said that he will need plastic surgery to repair the damaged skin on his hand. No new information was available on the health of Carol and Robert Collins.