Hart Outfielder Niccum Critical After Auto Accident Near School

Casey Niccum, a junior outfielder for the Hart High baseball team, was listed in critical condition Tuesday after he was involved in an automobile accident on the way to school.

Niccum, 17, and three other teen-agers involved in the accident were taken by ambulance to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia after the car Niccum was driving collided with another vehicle at the intersection of 16th Street and Orchard Village Road near Hart’s campus in Newhall, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman.

According to a hospital spokeswoman, Niccum sustained a fractured right kidney and abdominal trauma. Another passenger was listed in serious condition and two others were treated for minor injuries and released, the spokeswoman said.

Niccum was batting .333 with three runs batted in and three stolen bases. He also was 1-0 with a 3.00 earned-run average in seven innings as a reliever.

Hart (22-2), ranked No. 1 in The Times’ regional poll, will play host to Glendale on Friday in the opening round of the Southern Section 5-A Division playoffs.