Teenage Driver Dies After Trying to Avoid Hitting Cat
A Norco teenager died early Saturday when her car went out of control and overturned after she swerved to avoid hitting a cat that dashed across East Coast Highway.
Elizabeth Bucha, 17, died at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian from injuries suffered in the accident, said a spokesman for the Orange County medical examiner’s office. Two female passengers, one 16 and the other 18, both from Norco, sustained minor injuries in the crash, said a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman.
CHP officials did not release the identities of the injured passengers, who were treated and released at Hoag. It is not known if the three young women were related.
According to the CHP report, Bucha was driving a 1995 Ford Aspire at 12:20 a.m. when a cat ran across the road, near East Coast Highway and Newport Coast Drive. She swerved the car left, then right, before hitting the curb and losing control of the vehicle.
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