A tragic crash on Sunday evening in Bakersfield claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl. Police responded around 6 p.m. on Union Avenue, just south of Panorama Drive, after a Jeep traveling west on Panorama Drive crossed into the northbound lane of Union Avenue and collided with a Hyundai.
The teenage passenger in the Hyundai died at the scene. Authorities suspect that speed and drugs contributed to the crash.
Community mourns and voices concerns
The local community is mourning the loss and expressing concerns about road safety.
A parent who visited the crash site shared the heartbreaking impact:
“It just broke my heart, and I told my daughter a 16-year-old had died. And she goes, ‘Yes, mom, she went to our school.’ And so we started discussing how easy your life can be taken even when you’re just an innocent bystander.”
The parent highlighted worries about the frequency of such accidents and the safety of her own children:
“Somebody wasn’t paying attention. People need to pay attention. These kids are valuable. I worry about my daughter and her friends all the time. Now that they’re at the age of driving, I’m scared for them, but I can’t be driving them all the time.”
She also recounted a near-miss experience with her family:
“My children and I were walking up to a restaurant, and we were all three walking, and there was an accident in the intersection, and a man was T-boned and he came up through all the poles. Yes, we were walking and we were innocent bystanders.”
Ongoing concerns about road safety
The community continues to grapple with the loss and the ongoing concerns about safety on local roads.
Leave a Reply