NORTH FORSYTH — Two adults and two children were hospitalized Thursday morning after a near head-on collision at the entrance to Silver City Elementary School by the Forsyth-Dawson County line.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, which was handling the investigation, a southbound vehicle attempting to turn left into the school from Dahlonega Highway (Hwy. 9) crossed into the path of a vehicle traveling north.

The driver of the vehicle that turned was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, authorities said, along with two passengers — a 5-year-old female and a 7-year-old male. Emergency personnel took an adult from the second vehicle to Northside Hospital-Forsyth in Cumming.

Officials on the scene described all of the injuries as non-life threatening.

According to Forsyth County Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers, the collision was reported about 7:17 a.m.

"The wreck was very near [Fire] Station 7, so it didn't take [emergency personnel] long at all [to get there]," Shivers said. 

Firefighters had to force the doors open on one of the vehicles to free the people inside. 

Shivers noted that Forsyth has outfitted every fire engine with extrication tools, something not all departments have done. 

"We can start working on freeing the patients as soon as we arrive, rather than waiting on equipment to arrive," he said. 

Although the crash occurred directly in front of the school, emergency crews were able to keep one lane of Dahlonega Highway open for the morning commute. Silver City Elementary is a late-start school. The bell does not ring until 8:20 a.m., so the accident did not happen at the height of traffic.

The driver of the vehilce that turned left was charged with failure to yield.