Buena Park Teenager Dies in Collision

A Buena Park teenager died of injuries from a traffic accident in Long Beach involving cars driven by a Cypress girl and a Westminster woman, authorities said Friday.

Vanessa Giles, 17, suffered fatal head and internal injuries in the accident, which happened at 3:15 p.m. Thursday at Wardlow Road and Norwalk Boulevard, Long Beach police said.

Vanessa was a passenger in a red 1989 Nissan 240SX driven by Melissa Colon, 16, of Cypress. Melissa had pulled out of the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant and was westbound on Wardlow when she turned left in front of an eastbound 1990 blue Toyota Camry driven by Mary Ellen Peavler Plooster, 57, of Westminster, police said. Plooster suffered minor injuries.

Melissa was treated at the scene for her injuries and released to her parents. She was not badly hurt, said Cypress High School soccer Coach Dave King. Melissa is a soccer player at the school, which Vanessa also attended.

“It was real still at school today,” said King, who is also a teacher at Cypress High. “All of the kids didn’t know how to react. They were shocked. I don’t think they realize what loss is at this age.”

An investigation by Long Beach detectives found no evidence that alcohol was involved in the accident, police said. They asked that anyone who witnessed the collision call Detective Jerry Wood at (562) 570-7355.