Crash in Silverado Canyon Kills 1 and Injures 6
Posted on September 13, 2013 Written By: iadminlaw
Silverado Canyon (Orange County)
Two separate accidents in Silverado Canyon on Monday killed a 17-year-old girl and left six other young people with injuries.
The accidents occurred at approximately 2 a.m. near the intersection of Silverado Canyon Road and Santiago Canyon Road. A Honda Civic Coupe and a Honda Civic Sedan were involved.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the sedan was following the coupe down Santiago Canyon Road. A 19-year-old male was driving the sedan, with a 20-year-old male passenger and two 17-year-old female passengers. Both drivers appear to have been speeding, authorities say.
The driver of the coupe hit the brakes after spotting a passing animal. The driver of the sedan did the same and lost control of the vehicle. The car became airborne and crashed into bushes and street signs.
One of the 17-year-old girls was not wearing her seatbelt and was ejected from the car while it was rolling. She died at the scene.
The driver of the coupe crashed into a ditch while turning around to check on the sedan.
The CHP says they expect all six hospitalized victims to survive.
The mother of the driver of the coupe said that her son and the other two people in the car were heading to a hangout nearby. She said that all seven people involved in the incident were very good friends.
The 19-year-old driver of the sedan was not arrested, but he will undergo a toxicology exam to determine if he was under the influence when the accident occurred.
The names of the seven victims have not been released.
The CHP says the two cars never collided so each incident is being treated as a single-vehicle accident.
According to a woman who lives in the area, it is not uncommon for cars to speed on that stretch of road, and she said there have been several accidents at that intersection. However she does not remember any of the accidents being fatal.
“It breaks our heart that they lost the kids,” said Connie Nelson of Silverado Canyon. “I’ve got children, everybody out there has got children, and it’s hard to deal with thinking that they’ve got that loss to deal with now.”
Part of Silverado Canyon Road had been closed for a while, but was reopened by about 5:30 a.m.
