TOWN OF CLARNO — A truckload of Monroe High School students out on lunch break crashed head-on into a tree Monday morning, Dec. 2, according to the Green County Sheriff's Office.

All four boys in the red Chevy Silverado pickup truck were taken to Monroe Clinic by Green County EMS ambulances for evaluation of non-life threatening injuries, said Sgt. Britt Gempeler. One of the boys didn't report injuries but was taken anyway as a precaution.

The accident happened at about 10:30 a.m. south of Monroe High School just outside city limits in the Town of Clarno.

The driver, Austin C. Camron, 16, was headed out of Monroe and negotiating the curve where 30th Street turns southbound and becomes Jeffrey Road when the truck went into the east ditch and hit a tree.
One of the passengers is also 16. The other two passengers are 15 years old. Gempeler was withholding names early Monday afternoon citing an ongoing investigation.

Rick Waski, school district administrator, sent a districtwide email about an hour after the crash to inform parents of the accident.

"This was a one-car accident that occurred just south of Monroe High School during the first lunch period. Emergency medical services were quickly on the scene and are providing care for all involved," he wrote.

Monroe High School has three lunch breaks and an open campus, meaning students can leave the school on their lunch break.