Alcohol involved in fatal PCH crash in Malibu, police say
The car rollover kills driver, 17, and injures 3 teenage passengers. The teens tell investigators they had been drinking throughout the night.
A 17-year-old driver whose car rolled and crashed in Malibu on Tuesday night had been drinking before his car flipped on Pacific Coast Highway, killing him and injuring three of his four teenage passengers, who had also been drinking, authorities said this morning.
Three of the teens were taken to UCLA Medical Center where two were treated for broken bones and a third, a girl who suffered head trauma, was in critical condition this morning, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The fourth teen was treated and released at the scene.
The passengers, all 17-year-olds, told investigators they began drinking at a concert in Hollywood Tuesday night, then continued drinking at Santa Monica Pier, Whitmore said.
Four of the teens, including the driver, were from Newbury Park, he said, and a fifth is from nearby Camarillo.
Administrators at Newbury Park High School said investigators had not told them this morning whether any of the teens attended the high school.
Dean Larry Berlin said students learn about the hazards of underage drinking and drunk driving through a spring health class program called "15 Minutes," which teachers usually start at this time of year, two weeks after spring break and just ahead of the school's prom, senior picnic and graduation June 13.
"We get the students as early as we can," Berlin said, adding that administrators will likely meet with law enforcement officials to discuss expanding drunk driving outreach to students.
"We'll have to sit back and look at what we're doing and see what else we can do," Berlin said.
The single-car rollover crash was reported at 10:19 p.m. Tuesday in the 32000 block of PCH, between Broad Beach and Encinal Canyon roads, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Scott Chew said.
This morning, the car remained upside down in the middle of the highway; crews were clearing debris from the area. A skateboard, tennis shoes, a Dodgers cap and other clothing could be seen. Skid marks were visible on a nearby embankment.
Chew said investigators believe the driver lost control of the car, which veered into the mountainside, rolled several times and came to rest on its roof. The driver died at the scene, Chew said.
At 9 a.m., investigators reopened all lanes on PCH.
molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com
