Sleep Deprivation Leaves Two Teens Dead

Many warn against people driving when tired or feeling unwell. Yet when people get behind the wheel, they never consider that something may go wrong, an accident may happen, the consequences of which may impact more lives than just their own.

Early Monday morning, on June 22, 2015, a group of 4 friends, 15-year-old driver, 22-year-old front passenger and two back-seat passengers – a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, were driving home from Disneyland. The accident happened on the U.S. 101 northbound freeway, just north of the State Beaches exit. At around 1:30 a.m., the group of friends, in a 2013 Honda Accord, drifted across the freeway, from the number one lane into the two and three lanes. The Honda Accord then hit a tracker-trailer on the shoulder and lost control.

Of the passengers, the driver and the backseat passenger behind him, the 15-year-old boy and girl, died in the car crash. The other two, suffering from serious injuries, were taken to the Ventura County Medical Center for treatment. A representative of the California Highway Patrol in Ventura called the deaths a tragedy. Reports indicate that while speed did not seem to be a factor in the accident, sleepiness was. Nevertheless, at this time the CHP does not know what exactly caused the accident.