Tacoma + Drunk Driving = Fatal Crash

Happened on Monday....not far from where i live...


FULLERTON - Two teenagers were killed and another critically injured after a suspected drunken driver lost control and flipped his truck in Fullerton, according to police.

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 2:40 a.m. Monday on eastbound Coyote Hills Drive at Foxwood Drive, said Fullerton Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom Shultz, adding that alcohol is believed to have been involved in the crash.

The pickup was traveling at a high rate of speed when the 19-year-old driver lost control, sending the truck up a hillside, into some trees and eventually flipping it over several times in a field, officials said.

Jacqueline Ardalan, 19, of La Habra, and Miles A. Christensen, 19, of Fullerton, were pronounced dead at the scene. They were both ejected from the truck in the crash.

The driver of the 2006 Toyota Tacoma crew cab, Jared Berggren, 19, of Fullerton, was listed in stable condition at UCI Medical Center and was expected to face two charges of vehicular manslaughter, said Fullerton police Sgt. Mike MacDonald.

Investigators said he was not immediately aware that his friends had been killed.

Cans and bottles of alcohol were found near the crash scene, according to police.

Copyright © 2009, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles

 

Jeez, hate to see that happen to anyone.

 

God help the family s

 

Some people are just unable to learn without experiencing firsthand. You cannot protect people like that from themselves. Sad........

 

very sad... gonna be a rough one for the driver

 

How bloody fast we he going? Geez. He lived the others didn't, got ejected cuz they weren't wearing seat belts I'd imagine.

Shame. 2 lives wasted, and his pretty much over now, too.

 

Man that is just terrible

 

Drunk driving = stupid and deadly. Can't be said enough.

Also, why is it that the person who is at fault in drunk driving accidents always seems to be the one who survives??? That just doesn't seem right.

It should be... He ought to go to jail for a very long time.

 

so they can face the consequences

 

crazy how most accidents that involve drunk drivers always end up with the drunk drivers surviving and the others suffer fatal injuries. but then again the ones at fault that survive have to live with knowin that they took the life of their friends or others involved

 

05,
Is that near Malvern?

 

Well, hope he takes a gun to his head. He just put two families in a world of hurt. Tell you what, if he don't kill himself, the parents just might! I know thats a bad thing to say but these things can be so easily avoided!!! I see these kinds of things to much and it pisses me off!!!

 

Awful story. Not only terible for the friends and families concerned, but also the emergency services, those local to the crash - so many people affected by one stupid person.

 

Its believe its right past malvern... From what i read...it seems close to Rosecrans/Gilbert... I think by Ralph Clark Park??? Im not sure...

 

thats sooooo bad, so bad.....

 

There are a couple of bad spots right there, even with sober drivers. You are correct where it was at 05. On Gilbert between Rosecrans and Imperial, Just past the clock tower on Gilbert/Idaho and before the fire station on Gilbert.

 

I've lost a friend due to his drunkenness. He didn't take anyone with him. I miss my friend to this day. Driver-passenger-innocent victim....drunk driving hurts everybody just don't do it.

 

When drunk, the body goes limp and absorbs impact from crashes. That is why the driver usually survives but the other victims try to brace themselves and tense up. Things break when tense. It's terrible but common.

In this case, the 2 kids that died where not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the car. The driver was either wearing a seatbelt of held in by the steering wheel.

That's a horrible thing to say. I'm not defending him and I know you are in emergency services and see this all too often but I would never hope someone kills themselves - especially not a 19 yr old.

He is going to live with this his entire life and it won't be easy. Hell, he will probably spend a lot of time in jail too. He made a bad decision and got behind the wheel. His friends made a bad decision and got in the passenger seats - and didn't bother putting seatbelts on. We've all made stupid decisions as kids. The majority are fortunate enough (and generally smart enough) to avoid expiring anyone's life but bad decisions are still made.

I feel terrible for the families and friends of these young kids. My condolences go out to them.

 

That is always sad news to hear. Alcohol and driving just don't mix.

 

i feel bad for all families involved. the kid should get what he deserves and having to live with the guilt is unimaginable.