One Critical After Collision Near Ellicott City High School (UPDATE)

Update 4:05 p.m.:

Howard County Police now say there were five teenagers involved in the collision; four were taken to Howard County General Hospital with non-life-threatening injures and one was flown to University of Maryland's Shock Trauma in critical condition.

Updated 3:45 p.m.:

Four teenagers were injured and one is in critical condition after a two-vehicle collision near Mt. Hebron High School Thursday, according to police. 

According to a statement released by the Howard County Police Department, investigators believe that the teenagers are students at Mt. Hebron.

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The car they were in was leaving a school parking lot at about 2:20 p.m., according to police, and the preliminary investigation suggests it pulled out directly into the path of a “very large Mack truck” that was traveling west on Route 99.

Three of the teenagers were taken by ambulance to Howard County General Hospital, according to police. One teen was taken by helicopter to University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma in critical condition.

The truck is owned by a tree removal service, according to police.

Police say they do not yet know if the car was turning left or right out of the parking lot. 

Original article:

Four people were injured - one is in critical condition - after a two-car collision near Mt. Hebron High School Thursday, according to officials. 

Crews responded to the collision near the Mt. Hebron student parking lot just after 2:20 p.m., according to Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jacqueline Cutler. 

The collision involved one car and one truck, described by police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn as a "service truck."

Four people were injured, Cutler said; three with non-life threatening injuries and another with critical, life-threatening injuries. That person was flown to University of Maryland Shock Trauma, Cutler said.

As of about 3 p.m., Llewellyn and Cutler both said they did not know if any of those involved in the collision were students.

Route 99 eastbound is closed while authorities investigate the collision.

This article was updated to include information from the Howard County Police Department.