Two teenage girls are dead, and three others were seriously hurt after a speeding car crashed into a tree and burst into flames in the early morning hours of Sunday in Sloughhouse, a rural community in Sacramento County.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed the crash occurred around 12:29 a.m. on Scott Road, north of Latrobe Road, a remote stretch of road located west of Deer Creek Hills Nature Preserve.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department responded to the scene after being alerted through an iPhone crash detection notification, one of the few ways authorities were notified, given the isolated location of the road.
The driver and the front passenger did not survive
According to the CHP, the driver of the vehicle was a 16-year-old girl who died at the scene. A 14-year-old girl seated in the front passenger seat also did not survive.
The car became fully engulfed in flames following the impact, making rescue efforts extremely dangerous for those first on the scene.
Investigators have determined that speed was a contributing factor in the crash. Whether drugs or alcohol played any role has not yet been confirmed, and that portion of the investigation remains ongoing.
Passing Drivers Pulled Survivors from Burning Car
Before emergency crews could arrive, a small number of passing motorists stopped and pulled three teenage girls from the back seat of the burning vehicle.
That act of intervention is credited with saving their lives. Once firefighters arrived, they provided medical aid to the three injured passengers at the scene.
The three survivors, two of whom are 16 years old and one who is 15, were transported to separate hospitals.
One was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, another to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, and the third to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento, all with critical injuries.
The Elk Grove Unified School District confirmed that students from within the district were involved in the crash. Three of the five teenagers, including two of the injured survivors, attend Pleasant Grove High School. One of the two girls who died was also an EGUSD student.
The district released a statement Sunday saying counselors would be available at Elk Grove High School, Pleasant Grove High School, and Albiani Middle School on Monday to support students and staff processing the tragedy.
The road where the crash occurred, Scott Road, is a quiet rural route that does not see heavy traffic, particularly in the late night and early morning hours.
That isolation meant that emergency services took time to reach the scene, making the intervention of passing drivers all the more critical to the outcome for the three survivors.
Community members and school officials in the Elk Grove area expressed grief and shock following the news.
The Elk Grove Unified School District emphasized that counseling resources would continue to be made available as students return to school and grapple with the loss of their classmates.
The California Highway Patrol continues its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. Officials are urging anyone with information about the events leading up to the crash to come forward and contact the CHP.
The names of those involved have not been released as authorities continue to notify family members and complete their investigation.
