Five juveniles from Inyo County are lucky to be alive after their two vehicles collided on Saturday, Feb. 15. The accident happened about 8:50 p.m.
A 1996 Chevrolet pickup, with a juvenile at the wheel, headed northbound on Sunland Road, toward Sunland Indian Reservation Road. A second juvenile followed behind the Chevrolet in a 2002 Toyota Tacoma. Reports indicated that both vehicles traveled with excessive speed.
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The Toyota driver crossed the double yellow line and into the southbound lanes as the driver tried to pass the first vehicle. Simultaneously, the Chevrolet driver slowed to make a left turn onto Sunland Indian Reservation Road. As a result, the two vehicles collided sending the Toyota rolling multiple times before stopping on the west side of the road, in a field, on its roof.
The crash ejected two juveniles riding in the bed of the pickup. Two teens inside the cab of the pickup had to be assisted out because they were suspended upside down, held by their seatbelts.
All five went to Northern Inyo Hospital for minor injuries.
Numerous agencies responded, including the California Highway Patrol, Bishop Volunteer Fire Department, Symons Ambulance and the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.
The accident is still under investigation.
Teen crashes that result in fatalities have three criteria in common: drinking, speeding and/or distraction, according to an American Automobile Association newsroom press release from the summer of 2019,
Sadly, an average of 700 people die each year in vehicle accidents that involve teenage drivers.