Rollover
kills teens
MALIBU
(AP) — A speeding car filled with five 17-year-olds overturned on Pacific
Coast Highway, killing the driver and injuring three passengers during a night
of partying with alcohol, authorities said Wednesday.
A girl
was in critical condition with head injuries at UCLA Medical Center and two
boys were being treated there for hip injuries, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s
Sgt. Philip Brooks. Another boy was treated at the scene.
Four of
the teens, including the driver, were students at Newbury Park High School in
Ventura County.
“We’ve
had so much grief on campus, so we have set up grief counseling in a couple of
empty rooms and in the cafeteria,” Principal Athol Wong told KCAL-TV. “We’ve
been doing the best we can to comfort students and staff.”
The
driver was identified as Cody James Murphy of Newbury Park, said coroner’s
official Craig Harvey.
Three
other teens were also from Newbury Park. One was from Camarillo, also in
Ventura County.
The
Subaru Impreza went out of control shortly after 10 p.m. April 8 and rolled
over several times, ending up on its roof. The coast road was not fully
reopened until 9 a.m. April 9.
The
investigation showed that the teens went to a concert in Hollywood, where they
drank alcohol and they continued drinking later at the Santa Monica Pier,
Brooks said.
“The
occupants of the vehicle admit to drinking,” Brooks said.
An empty
alcohol bottle was found in the wreckage, and alcohol and speed were factors in
the crash, he said.
It also
appeared that the teens were not wearing seatbelts.