Canyon Country Youth, 17, Killed When Car Hits a Parked Truck

A 17-year-old Canyon Country high school student was killed Wednesday morning when the car in which he was riding slammed into the rear of a flatbed truck parked on the side of Sierra Highway south of Sand Canyon Road.

Eddie A. Torres, a student at Jereann Bowman High School, died of head injuries, authorities said. He was not wearing a seat belt, said John Nanduca, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

The 17-year-old driver of the car, who was wearing a seat belt, was treated for minor injuries at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital and released. Nanduca would not identify the driver, pending the outcome of an investigation.

Nanduca said the vehicle was traveling south in the fast lane of Sierra Highway about 9:50 a.m., possibly following another car, when the driver changed lanes and went off the roadway. He said that alcohol apparently was not a factor in the incident and that the vehicle did not appear to have been speeding.