Investigators said the driver lost control after passing another vehicle, went off the road and wrapped his car around a tree. The vehicle was so badly mangled it took rescue crews nearly three hours to free the only survivor. He was flown to Community Hospital with severe injuries.
Chris Finnegan with the C.H.P. said, "They tried feverishly with the jaws of life. But because of the way the vehicle was wrapped around the tree, they just could not access the patient."
Investigators claim speed was to blame. They don't think alcohol or drugs were involved. The C.H.P. said the victims and the survivor are all between 17 and 18 years old.
