Published: July 25, 2007 11:49 am            

One teen dead, four injured in accident

DEWITT — A rollover accident near DeWitt Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of a Grand Mound teenager and injured four others.

According to the Clinton County Sheriff’s office, Easten Alter, 15, was driving a 2005 GMC Yukon southbound in the 2300 block of 320th Avenue west of DeWitt. The vehicle began to fishtail, and Alter over corrected. He lost control of the vehicle, which then rolled over about two and a half times before coming to a stop on the road.

There were four passengers in the vehicle. Two of the passengers, Mitchell Ertz, 15, and Dylan Hintz, 15, were ejected from the vehicle in the accident.

Alter and three of the vehicle’s passengers, Hintz, Tucker Lawson, 15, and Joseph Kazinski, 16, all of Grand Mound, were transported by a DeWitt ambulance to Genesis Medical Center in DeWitt.

According to hospital spokesman Craig Cooper, Alter and Kazinski were treated and released. As of Tuesday night, Hintz and Lawson were listed in fair condition.

The fourth passenger in the vehicle, Ertz, also of Grand Mound, was transported to Genesis Medical Center, East Campus, Davenport. The sheriff’s department said that Ertz died Tuesday, and an autopsy will be conducted.

According to the sheriff’s office accident report, Ertz and Lawson were not wearing seat belts, and it is unclear whether Hintz wore a seat belt prior to the accident. Alter and Kazinski were wearing seat belts.

Alter was cited for violation of the conditions of a minor’s school permit and failure to maintain control.

Alter’s vehicle was totaled, sustained about $23,000 worth of damage.

        

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