Wed. May 7th, 2025
An O.C. juvenile driver died and five others were injured in a crash with a tree

Shortly before noon today, Orange County Sheriff deputies responded to a single vehicle traffic collision near the intersection of Dana Point Harbor Drive and Island Way in Dana Point.  

The juvenile driver was found deceased upon thd deputies arrival.

The other five juveniles were transported to the hospital. Three are in critical condition, but are expected to survive. Two others had minor injuries.

The teen driver, was was behind the wheel of a Dodge pickup truck, reportedly ran into a tree, according to KTLA.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the collision.

Running into trees is a significant issue in the U.S. According to the Federal Highway Administration, trees are involved in approximately 10% of all traffic fatalities each year. Specifically, between 2016 and 2018, there were an average of 3,566 roadway departure fatalities annually where hitting a tree was identified as the most harmful event.

Distracted driving is a significant factor in many accidents, including those involving collisions with trees. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving accounts for approximately 14% of all traffic-related fatalities. While specific statistics on tree collisions aren’t always isolated, it’s clear that distracted driving plays a major role in many roadway departure accidents.

This highlights the importance of road safety measures to prevent such accidents.

author avatar
Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.