Collision Kills Tesoro High Sophomore

A truck barreled into a pickup carrying high school sweethearts Monday about 500 yards from their Rancho Santa Margarita school, killing the teenage driver and critically injuring his passenger, officials said.

Corey Bailey, 16, of Mission Viejo, was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where he died at 1:07 p.m., about an hour after the two-vehicle collision at Tesoro Creek Road and Oso Parkway, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

Bailey’s girlfriend, a 15-year-old from Ladera Ranch, was taken to the same hospital, where she was in critical condition, according to CHP officer Chris Goodwin. Her name was not released.

About noon, the sophomores left on their lunch break from Tesoro High School, Goodwin said. Bailey drove the pickup north in the left-turn lane of Tesoro Creek Road toward the Oso Parkway intersection.

As the teenager turned onto Oso, a 10-wheel flatbed trailer driven by Alejandro Sanchez Martinez, 42, of Santa Ana, smashed into the left side of the truck, CHP officials said. The collision flipped the pickup onto its cab.

Authorities said the traffic signal had changed at the intersection, but it was unclear late Monday which vehicle had the right of way.

“Somebody ran the red light,” CHP officer Fred Hartman said.

Classmates of Bailey described him as a smart student and good athlete.

“He’s a good all-around kid, really bright and responsible,” said Naveed Karbassyoon, 15, who took Spanish with Bailey last year.

Tesoro Principal Dan Burch said counselors were made available to all students at the school late Monday.

No citations were issued, but an investigation was continuing. CHP officials asked anyone who witnessed the accident to contact their San Juan Capistrano office at (949) 487-4000.

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Times staff writer David Haldane contributed to this report.