CHP Identifies Cause Of Bay Area Crash That Killed 4 Teen Girls: Report

MARIN COUNTY, CA — The 16-year-old driver of the SUV — which crashed into a redwood tree, burst into flames and killed four teenage girls — was traveling 20 to 25 mph over the speed limit and lost control on a curve April in rural Marin County, the California Highway Patrol said, according to a report by The San Francisco Chronicle.

A CHP report stated that there was no evidence the driver, who sustained severe burns, of a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan veered off westbound San Geronimo Valley Road between Fairfax and Woodacre to avoid an oncoming vehicle, which was a scenario considered after a 14-year-old survivor of the crash told police they saw headlights just before the collision, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Lead investigator Darrel Horner attributed the crash to the driver's high speed, given the road's limited sight distance, narrow lanes, small shoulders and bordering forest. The driver's inexperience, having only had her license for five months, likely contributed to her inability to safely handle these conditions at speed, the investigator said.

CHP recommended the Marin County District Attorney’s Office prosecute the driver for gross vehicular manslaughter. The August report found no intoxication but cited speeding, an unsafe turn and violating provisional license restrictions, because the driver was not allowed to drive passengers under the age of 20 with her provisional license.

Olive Koren, 14, Sienna Katz, 15, Josalyn Osborn, 15, and Ada Kepley, 15, all students at Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo, were identified as those killed in the crash.

Read the full story at The San Francisco Chronicle.