5 Killed, 4 Hurt in Crash Tied to Unlicensed Driver

Five people died early Saturday after the car in which they were riding crossed into oncoming traffic on U.S. 101 in Monterey County and was struck broadside.

The driver of the Geo Prizm, a 17-year-old Watsonville girl who did not have a driver’s license, apparently was trying to make a U-turn from northbound 101 to the southbound lanes, said Officer Richard Richards of the California Highway Patrol’s Monterey office.

The Prizm crossed a double yellow line and began to make a U-turn just north of Echo Valley Road about 12:45 a.m., when it was hit by a Honda Pilot sport utility vehicle heading south, Richards said.

The driver of the Prizm and her four male passengers were killed. One victim was 21, while the rest were believed to be teenagers, including the son of the Prizm’s registered owner, Richards said.

They were apparently heading from a party in Seaside to another party when the vehicles collided, Richards said.

The Honda Pilot rolled after striking the Prizm, injuring the two men and two women inside. They were hospitalized with various injuries. The most seriously hurt suffered cracked ribs and a collapsed lung, Richards said. He did not know their conditions later Saturday.

U.S. 101 narrows to two lanes in each direction where the accident occurred, about 10 miles north of Salinas. It’s an area that has seen numerous collisions between vehicles heading in opposite directions, Richards said.