A car collision at the intersection of Shields Street and Prospect Road left passengers shaken and some injured.  

A black Pontiac Grand Prix and white Honda Pilot remained smashed and battered in the middle of the busy Shields and Prospect intersection after colliding around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday night.  According to McKenzie Mattson, who witnessed the accident, both vehicles were driving through yellow lights at the time of the crash.

“They both had yellow lights and they collided in the process of one of them turning and one of them going straight,” Mattson said.  “I was actually across the street, I was walking back from the store.”

At least one passenger was injured, according to Mattson.

“There was a pregnant woman who was a passenger, I believe in the black sedan, who was having severe pain on one side of her body and in her arm.  The drivers of both vehicles seem to be fine,” said Mattson.

However, according to Kate Kimble, Public Information Officer for Fort Collins Police Services, the driver of the black Pontiac was the only person evacuated to the hospital for an evaluation, while other passengers were evaluated on site and released.

Julie Abernathy, a senior Physics major at Colorado State University, was driving the white Honda Pilot at the time of the collision.  Abernathy was uninjured.

“I was turning left when the light was yellow, expecting other cars to slow down,” Abernathy said.  “I guess I wasn’t being a defensive driver, and this guy sped up to get through the yellow light before it turned red when I was turning, and he hit the back quarter of my car and we just skidded out.”

According to Abernathy, there were two other passengers in her vehicle, neither of which sustained injuries.  Abernathy lives close to the intersection, which she said is usually hazardous.

“I see accidents on this intersection all the time,” Abernathy said.  “I try to avoid it, but living by here, you really can’t.”

The intersection remained busy throughout the emergency response procedure, and officers on scene continued to direct traffic around the towing and clean-up operations.  According to Jeff Camelio, a resident who lives on the southwest corner of Shields and Prospect, accidents at the intersection are common.

“There is an accident at the corner of Shields and Prospect every week,” Camelio said.  “I live right over there, and you just hear crashes … I don’t know why, I don’t know if it’s more frequent here than anywhere else.”

Even though the experience was traumatic, Abernathy said the public and emergency response immediately following the accident was excellent.

“There were like five cars that stopped, there were immediately people tapping on the window saying ‘Are you okay?’  Within seconds there was an ambulance,” Abernathy said.  “The response was impeccable.  It was like a moment of fear for me … but after that, everybody was here.  Good job City of Fort Collins.”

Collegian news reporter Mason Force can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @masforce1.