SODA SPRINGS, Calif. — A 15-year-old girl and her 14-year-old friend are lucky to be alive after authorities said the girl took her parents’ Maserati and got into a fiery wreck on Interstate 80 near Donner Pass, just west of Soda Springs, Calif.
According to the California Highway Patrol – Tahoe division, the teen girl took the luxury car while her parents were sleeping and went to pick up a 14-year-old boy who was a friend of hers. After picking the boy up, the pair drove east on I-80 toward Donner. Investigators say that once they got there, the girl switched places with the boy, letting him drive the car.
The boy headed east again on I-80 traveling at more than 100 miles per hour. He soon lost control of the vehicle before crashing into a guardrail on the right front passenger side near Donner Pass Road. According to CHP, the guardrail actually penetrated into the cabin of the vehicle. The crash was so violent that it caused the vehicle to burst into flames.
After the crash, the girl managed to crawl from the flaming wreckage to relative safety, according to the report.
At the same time, an off-duty Redwood City Police officer on his way to Tahoe spotted the flames and rushed into action. The officer pulled the girl further away from the wreckage as a CHP officer arrived to help stabilize the teens ahead of first responders.
CHP says both the girl and boy suffered severe injuries both internal and external in the crash. Investigators did not say how the boy got out of the vehicle. Both teens were flown from the crash via medical helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center. Though their conditions aren’t known, authorities say both teens are expected to survive.
The highway was shut down temporarily to allow the helicopters a place to land.