3 Teens Fatally Injured in 2 Unrelated Crashes

Three Orange County 15-year-olds died after two unrelated single-car crashes that occurred when drivers lost control and their vehicles flipped, authorities said Wednesday.

In Anaheim, a Yorba Linda girl and Garden Grove boy died after the driver of a white Honda Accord veered sharply off the Riverside Freeway about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. The car struck an embankment and flipped, ejecting the pair sitting in the rear seat, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The victims, identified as Jenny Schwandt and McClaine Min Hwang, were not wearing seat belts, authorities said.

Less than two hours later, Sarah E. Siwicki of Lake Forest was fatally injured when a 16-year-old driver lost control of a Toyota 4-Runner on Oso Parkway in Laguna Hills, according to Lt. Tom Garner of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

In the Laguna Hills fatality, the Coto de Caza youth who was driving told investigators the crash occurred when he asked the girl to hold the wheel for him while he leaned over to get some French fries, authorities said.

The 4-Runner drifted to the right and struck the curb, and when the driver grabbed the wheel again he wrenched the vehicle back to the left, causing it to overturn, Garner said.

Karen Siwicki, the victim’s mother, said Wednesday that the family is grappling with grief and unanswered questions.

“I’m sorry, we know so little right now,” she said. “They told us it’s under investigation.”

The El Toro High School student, who was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, was rushed to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where she later died, Garner said. The driver, who was not identified because of his age, was hospitalized with minor injuries.

“Driving is a full-time job, and drivers need to remember that the lives of everyone around them is in their hands,” Garner said. “People have to really pay attention behind the wheel.”

The events that led to the freeway crash in Anaheim were still unclear Wednesday, according to Officer Kari Keul, a CHP spokeswoman.

The Honda was traveling about 65 mph in the westbound lanes when the car abruptly crossed all lanes, rammed into a embankment and flipped, Keul said. Schwandt died at the scene, and Hwang died later at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

The names of the driver and a front-seat passenger were not available Wednesday, Keul said. Witnesses are asked to call CHP investigators at (714) 567-6000.