Hoover woman in critical condition after fiery crash at apartment complex

A 26-year-old Hoover woman is in critical condition at UAB Hospital with life-threatening burn injuries after a fiery crash at her apartment complex early this morning, authorities said.

Natalie Williams, a college sports reporter for the Alabama Media Group, was driving a 2010 VW Jetta when it jumped a curb and struck a tree near the 500 building of The Park at Galleria Apartments on Hampton Park Drive in Hoover, police Capt. Gregg Rector said.

The vehicle caught fire, and Williams suffered burn injuries covering 70 to 80 percent of her body, authorities said.

Her husband, identified as 29-year-old Chasten Williams, told police he was a passenger in the vehicle and walked away from the accident toward his apartment, Rector said. He told police he returned to the vehicle within five minutes, discovered it in flames and pulled his wife from the vehicle.

Both of them were taken to UAB Hospital. Natalie Williams was taken to the Trauma Burn Intensive Care Unit and listed in critical condition this afternoon. Her husband was treated and released, according to police.

Hoover’s 911 center received an emergency call about the crash at 2:34 a.m. Police arrived within five minutes and discovered the vehicle fully engulfed in flames, Rector said. The Hoover Fire Department extinguished the fire and is investigating the cause of the blaze in conjunction with the Hoover Police Department, said Rusty Lowe, executive officer for the Fire Department.

Natalie Williams joined the Alabama Media Group in 2014 as a college football reporter, primarily to cover the Southeastern Conference, according to her bio on the AL.com website. Today is her birthday.