BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Another tragic car crash has claimed the life of a teenager, leaving a family devastated. On Oct. 19, highway patrol responded to Shadow Hills Drive for a report of a vehicle rollover.
Investigators believe a 17-year-old boy was driving 80 miles an hour with two other passengers when the car lost control and rolled down a steep embankment. In the car were twin sisters, one of whom has now succumbed to her injuries, according to the family. The other sister continues to make progress. The family hopes that she will be able to come home soon. In the meantime, they created a GoFundMe, asking the public for help in paying medical and funeral expenses.
A traffic collision occurred Sunday night on Shadow Hills Dr, leaving four people pinned inside a vehicle. (KBAK/KBFX)
That same day, another deadly crash involving a teen driver occurred in Tulare County. Officials identified the driver as 18-year-old Cesar Oswaldo Morales Martinez from Delano, who was driving without a license. Martinez crashed head-on into another car, killing a 52-year-old woman.
Manslaughter charges are being sought for a deadly crash in Tulare County. CHP said an 18-year-old Delano man, driving without a license, crashed head-on to a vehicle killing a 52-year-old woman, also from Delano. PHOTO: Tulare County Fire Department, GoFundMe
Just days earlier, it was National Teen Driver Safety Week, a time for parents to talk to their teenagers about safe driving. According to the California Highway Patrol, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens between 16 and 19. In 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that more than 2,000 teens were killed in crashes.
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Tammy Gweedo McGee, executive director and founder of the Gweedo Memorial Foundation, said, “Driving is the most dangerous thing that each of us does every single day, and especially for teenagers.” McGee lost her 16-year-old son after he was killed by an unlicensed teen driver. “All the dreams and aspirations that they had were gone because of the choices that we made behind the wheel,” she said.
In honor of her son, McGee founded the Guido Memorial Foundation to educate new drivers and parents about safe driving. She emphasizes the need for teen drivers to slow down, buckle up, and limit passengers in their cars. McGee also urges parents to be involved, set rules, and have conversations. “We need parents to be the example, be the driver that you want your teenager to be,” she said. McGee believes these crashes are 100% preventable and it all starts with making better choices. “Every time you’re behind the wheel, it has to be 100% because people’s lives depend on it,” she said.