A young couple is dead and two teens are recovering from their injuries following a tragic car accident last week in Sacramento. As initially reported by Fox 40 and News 10, the accident occurred late Friday night at the intersection of Rogers and Bradshaw, near Elk Grove. The couple was attempting to make a left hand turn onto Rodger in their pickup truck, when a teen driving a Dodge Challenger broadsided them at over 100mph. The truck was pushed over 200 feet before slamming into a power pole and bursting into flames. The couple was ejected from the truck and burned beyond recognition, dying at the scene. The 18-year old behind the wheel of the Challenger and his 15-year old brother in the passenger seat were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
While speed certainly played a factor in the collision and the deaths of two people, CHP investigators haven’t ruled out street racing as a possible reason. Nearby witnesses to the collision reported hearing a second set of tires screeching after the initial accident. Witnesses also reported seeing a second car helping the teens out of the Challenger before driving away. While the teen driver denies racing at the time of the collision, CHP officials haven’t ruled it out. “We’ve known that this area is an area that there’s high speeds, and young drivers out there involved in street racing,” said officer Mike Bradley.
Over the past decade there has been a nationwide increase in the number of accidents related to illegal street racing. California has seen a dramatic spike in incidents involving teenagers drivers who engage in street racing, leading many police departments across the state, as well as the CHP, to open Aggressive Driving Detail divisions. The goal of these divisions is to crack down on organized street racing and prevent injuries to innocent people as well as the drivers. Drivers caught racing on public streets can face severe fines, jail time and loss of their vehicle – to say nothing of the potential loss of life.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile collision due to the reckless actions of an inexperienced or aggressive driver, you have the right to take legal action against them. For more information on injuries caused by speeding automobiles, contact the Demas Law Group, P.C., today.
