Four California high school students were killed and two were critically injured after the SUV they were riding in collided with a tree.
The six adolescent girls, ages 14 to 16, were driving in a Volkswagen SUV that veered off the road and collided with a tree about 7:30 p.m. Friday in Marin County, just north of San Francisco.
Three people died on the site, and a fourth died later at a hospital. The California Highway Patrol verified that the driver and another passenger are in critical condition.
The incident included no other vehicles, and investigators are still investigating the cause.
“I extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and classmates of the four young students whose lives were tragically lost in this heartbreaking crash,” California Highway Patrol Marin Area Commander, Captain Amy Newton, stated. “No words can ease the pain of such a devastating loss, and our hearts are with the entire community as they grieve.”
The Tamalpais Union High School District acknowledged that the girls attended Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo.
“This is an incredibly heartbreaking time for our entire school and community,” Tara Taupier, superintendent of the Tamalpais Union High School District, said in a statement. “As we await more information, we know the Tam District community will pull together in compassion, care, and support for one another.”
The victims’ names have not yet been disclosed.
On Saturday, loved ones and community members paid their condolences at the crash scene by leaving flowers.
“It couldn’t get any more sad than six young women in a car. It could not be more terrible; you have your entire life ahead of you, regardless of what happened or why. “It’s so sad,” local Leslie Jackson told ABC7 News.
“I mean, the sheer amount of fatalities — I don’t think the horror has set in for our community yet. We are a close-knit, little town,” Melissa Wahlstrom, a parent whose child went to the same school as the victims, told the site.