Family Of Teen Killed In Antelope Crash Warns Young Drivers To 'Think Before You Get Behind The Wheel'
ANTELOPE (CBS13) — A warning from a heartbroken family: think before you get into a car.
Two teenagers are dead after their car crashed into trees in Antelope Tuesday morning. The California Highway Patrol says the latest crash is part of a trend of reckless driving.
CHP says speed was a major factor in the crash, and, based on witness statements, alcohol is also a contributing factor.
Leo Chavez and the family of 18-year-old Christian Buck looked for Christian's cell phone at a crash site on Elverta Road, but all they found was shattered glass and car parts.
Christian's family say he and his friend Bradley Johnson, 18, were less than a mile from Christian's house early Tuesday.
READ: Teen Killed In Antelope Crash Identified As Bradley Johnson, 18, From Antelope
The CHP says Johnson lost control of the car, slamming into trees, the car slicing into several pieces. Both teens were thrown from the car, dying on scene.
"2020 has been super tough. Look what happened, we have a tragedy," Chavez said.
Sandra Salaber and Roselyn Cope live behind the crash site. Pieces of the car ended up in their backyard. Both woke up to the impact on Tuesday morning.
"All of a sudden, you hear this boom," said Salaber.
They heard someone yell for help, so they called 911.
"That car, you couldn't even tell it was a car," said Salaber.
For them, tragedy along this road is nothing new. They say dangerous driving has been an issue on Elberta Road for at least a decade.
"We hear races, we hear them speeding all the time," said Cope.
But since the pandemic, they've seen more reckless driving, with teenagers behind the wheel.
"Maybe people are bored, I don't know," said Salaber. "A lot of young people speeding, just speeding really bad here."
This tragedy comes just days after four teens were killed in a crash in Tracy, and a sideshow that left another teenager needing brain surgery.
The CHP says the summer months are the deadliest when it comes to teenage drivers. The CHP has not officially ID'd the passenger as Christian Buck.