Teen Brothers Heading To School Suffer Life-Threatening Injuries In Crash On Icy Bourne Road

BOURNE (CBS) – Two teenage brothers suffered life-threatening injuries after a crash on an icy road in Bourne Tuesday morning. Police said the Upper Cape Technical Vocational School students, ages 14 and 17, slid off Route 28 North and hit a tree.

Photos shared by the Bourne Police Department showed the severely damaged pickup truck wrapped around a tree. Firefighters "used mechanical means" to free the teens, who were taken to Hasbro's Children's Hospital in Rhode Island.

The crash happened just after 7 a.m. and is still under investigation.

According to police, the roads were being treated but were icy at the time of the crash.

Police Lt. Brandon Esip said, "They were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. Thankfully."

Both students are out of surgery and in the intensive care unit, where they are listed in critical condition.

School superintendent Bob Dutch confirmed to WBZ-TV that the brothers were headed to school when the crash happened. He said there was no delay for students because there wasn't much snow on the ground this morning.

"It's a tragedy whenever it happens but I think for the mindset of a lot of people, something happening like this around the holidays is always going to be a negative memory of that time," Dutch said. "There's a lot of uncertainty, I think at this point they're hopeful that everything will be OK.

He added, "It's a difficult situation and our prayers are with them."

Authorities across the state have warned drivers to use "extreme caution" on the roads Tuesday.