Wednesday, September 7, 2016

SPEED KILLS, SLOW DOWN: Two teens killed in a crash west of Monte Rio when they crashed into a tree and burst into flames.



CHRISTI WARREN


THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | September 7, 2016, 8:35AM Updated 3 hours ago.

Two teens were killed in a crash just west of Monte Rio Tuesday night when their white Mitsubishi sedan careened off the roadway, crashed into a tree and the engine compartment burst into flames.

The driver, Edward Reynolds, 19, of Guerneville, and a female passenger were heading east on Moscow Road between Center Lane and Russian River Avenue about 10:30 p.m. when Reynolds lost control of the car. A California Highway Patrol release stated the car was traveling at a high rate of speed.

The woman’s identity has yet to be confirmed, but investigators believe she is 18-years-old.

A sheriff’s deputy was patrolling the area and saw the crash happen, a news release from the CHP said. The deputy used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames before backup could arrive.

When Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman arrived on scene, the car was lying on the driver’s side, its roof wrapped around the tree.

Both teens were wearing seatbelts, Baxman said, but were pronounced dead at the scene.

“The sad thing for us is it was our second double fatal in two weeks,” Baxman said, referring to the two young Jenner sisters who died in a crash Aug. 22 on the Russian River. “Two double fatals two weeks apart — that’s rare for us.”

The two are the seventh and eighth people to die in accidents in the county in two and a half weeks.