A 17-year-old Hibriten High School senior is in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte after being injured in a head-on collision with an impaired driver Thursday night.

Ashlyn Pope, a standout softball and basketball player for Hibriten, suffered multi-system trauma and multiple fractures when the vehicle she and her father, 65-year-old David Allen Pope, were traveling in was struck by a vehicle driven by 45-year-old Donald Jullian Ferko Jr. on N.C. 18 in Kings Creek around 9:45 p.m.

The crash occurred near Hollow Springs Circle not far from the Caldwell/Wilkes county line.

According to the crash report from the North Carolina Highway Patrol, David Pope was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe with Ashlyn as his passenger, and they were traveling west toward Lenoir. Ferko was headed east toward Boomer in a 1994 Chevrolet truck and was traveling in the wrong lane.

NCHP Master Trooper M.T. Stutts said the investigation revealed that David Pope tried to swerve to avoid impact but could not get out of the way of Ferko’s oncoming truck. The vehicles hit head-on and spun away from each other, the truck coming to a stop in the roadway, with the Tahoe going off the south shoulder of the road and teetering on the edge of an embankment.

Rescue personnel from Kings Creek Fire Department arrived minutes later to find Ferko complaining of rib pain, though he initially refused treatment. David Pope and Ashlyn Pope still were in the Tahoe, and firefighters worked to free them after securing the vehicle to keep it from sliding down the embankment. They were able to get David Pope out of the SUV, but Ashlyn Pope was entangled in the crumple zone of the vehicle, making it difficult to move her.

Firefighters removed the door with the Hurst tool and used reciprocating saws to cut their way through the mangled debris to get to the teenager, finally freeing her from the vehicle.

“We used every means necessary to get her out,” Kings Creek Fire Chief Scott Brawley said. “It was an exhausting process, but we finally were able to free her.”

Stutts added, “Those guys from Kings Creek did a great job to get her out. It was one of the worst pin-ins I’ve seen. It was not a good scene.”

Firefighters from Valmead Fire and Rescue assisted Kings Creek in establishing a landing zone at Kings Creek School. Ashlyn Pope was take from the scene of the crash to the school by Caldwell County EMS and flown by MedCenter Air to CMC for treatment of her injuries, still considered critical Friday. She was expected to go through multiple surgeries.

David Pope was taken by EMS to Caldwell Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries, as was Ferko, who complained about chest pain after initially declining treatment.

Stutts said there was evidence to indicate that Ferko was driving while impaired, and blood was drawn at CMH to send to the State Bureau of Investigation crime lab for a toxicology report.

Stutts said Ferko has been charged with driving while impaired, and additional charges are pending further investigation of the collision.

Hibriten High School made counselors and members of the clergy available to students, faculty and staff Friday, following its emergency response plan for such incidents, Assistant Principal Leann Frye said.

“We made counselors and clergy available if anyone wanted to speak with them,” Frye said. “It’s a difficult time for us, and we are trying to meet the needs of our students.”

Frye added that banners have been posted at the school for anyone wanting to sign, and she said outlets were provided for students to write letters of support to Ashlyn Pope and her family.

Members of the softball and basketball teams that Ashlyn Pope played for also signed balls to send to their injured teammate.