Susan
Wood, swood@tahoedailytribune.com
Greg Smith, 16, was ejected from the right rear side of a 2002 Jeep Liberty when the westbound vehicle apparently caught the edge of the road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle flipped at least three times and ended up in the eastbound lane, the California Highway Patrol reported Sunday.
CHP Tahoe spokesman Jeff Gartner added that the teenager and another passenger in the group of five 16-year-old occupants were not wearing seatbelts. Of the 4,200 fatals reported on California roadways, about half are estimated to have resulted from the passenger not wearing a seatbelt.
Another passenger, Emily Alessi, 16, was taken via Care Flight helicopter to Renown (formerly known as Washoe) Medical Center in Reno for a head injury.
She was treated for a concussion and brought home, where she was recovering.
"She's in shock. We just told her about Greg this morning," her mother, Susan Alessi, said Sunday. "I'm so thankful (she's alive), but I can't tell you how sorry we are for Greg and his family."
The authorities are investigating the mishap.
"We're pretty sure alcohol was not a factor, ...
Parents on the scene believe the incident is the result of a freak accident. The teenagers in the car, along with others following in another vehicle, are very active, athletic and found a longtime friendship skiing and boarding on Sierra-at-Tahoe slopes. Smith, who was sponsored by One Reality Custom Skis and Snowboards and Tyrolia, was ranked eighth on the freestyle team last February. His father, Steve Smith, works for Sierra-at-Tahoe and, according to friends, was extremely involved in the youth's passion for skiing.
Seven of the teenagers in the caravan attend South Tahoe High School, which will offer grief counselors this morning for those who need it.
Some of the teens spent Saturday at Boreal for its opening week. They were headed to a friend's house after a trip to Taco Bell at the "Y," according to witness accounts.
Another passenger in the vehicle, Jason Arens, 16, sat stunned on his sofa Sunday morning with another buddy, Ryan Martin, as they recalled the event, which took the life of the good friend they've known for three years.
"I looked down, and the car was going kind of squirrelly," said Arens, who was in the vehicle that crashed. He couldn't recall how many times the vehicle flipped over after the driver overcorrected.
"I thought: 'This can't be happening,'" he said, noting he felt lucky to be alive. "It makes you appreciate everything."
Immediately after, the young Arens had called his father, Perrie, on a cellular phone.
"He said: 'Dad, I need you.' See, these cell phones are a blessing," the father said.
Retired El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy Warren Berg also rushed to the scene as the father of competitive local skier Cassidy, 16, who missed several hours of sleep from the traumatic incident, Berg said.
"I've been an officer for 23 years. I haven't seen an accident this bad in a long time," he said.
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