Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Some of the local family trees . . .
are bamboo.
From our paper, The Daily Triplicate (click link for the rest of the story):
11-year-old crashes vehicle
Published: April 24, 2007
By Nicholas Grube
Triplicate staff writer
An 11-year-old girl drove a car over a steep embankment Friday, ejecting her four passengers, one of them a 3-year-old boy.
California Highway Patrol is still investigating why the 11-year-old was driving the vehicle in the first place, when two adults – one of them her father – were in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
“The father gave the 11-year-old keys to drive the vehicle,” California Highway Patrol Officer Don Bloyd said. “She had her father’s permission to drive.”
However, Bloyd did not release information as to why the father allowed his daughter to drive the vehicle.
The girl was driving west on California State Hwy. 169 near Klamath around 6 p.m. Friday when she failed to negotiate a curve and lost control of the vehicle. She hit another car coming from the opposite direction and continued over the edge of a steep embankment, rolling the vehicle several times.
The girl, who was wearing her seat belt, stayed in the vehicle while her four passengers were ejected. Arlen Charles, 36, April Rodriguez, 24, and two boys, 9-years-old and 3-years-old, flew from the vehicle and down the embankment.
My OR staff tell me that Hwy. 169 is one of those curvy, two-lane highways with steep embankments — not exactly a big, vacant parking lot. (And even if it were a big, vacant parking lot, if you wanted to teach your 11-year-old to drive, would you load up the car with all the other kids?)
I want to know the story. What was dad thinking?
D.
Were the “adults” drunk? That’s insane…
For some reason, I’m amused that your local paper is called the “Daily Triplicate.” Do you get three copies with every subscription?
wow…did it say if any of them survived?? that’s terrible…
Gah…that sounds like it should be happening in some small East Texas (or Kentucky) town…
M E-L: I’ve never been curious enough about it to find out the story behind the name. It is an odd name, isn’t it?
Shaina, everyone survived, even the other car that got hit.
noxcat, we might as well be . . .
My parents let me drive when I moved to the farm. I was 6. I drove on the road without a license when I was 14 to neighboring farms. At 15, I stole Dad’s car, still without a license, and drove to the Alabama state line. At least my parents did not joy ride with me. They were crazy but not crazy enough to get themselves killed in that manner. They chose a different manner years later.
I would think, at the very least, that a responsible adult would wear a seat belt while letting an 11-yaer-old drive. I’d sure as hell be strapped in and holding on for dear life under the circumstances.
CD: there was a three-year-old in the car. ‘Nuff said.
SxK: responsible? See comment to CD 🙂
Well, a 3-year-old should always be in a car seat, no matter how old the driver. That’s just common sense 🙂
Like CD, I learned to drive when I was in single digits, up at the farm. However, I only drove with an adult beside me, and on country back roads. The biggest “highway” in the area was 2-lane, a straight shot w/50 mph limit.
However, in this case? I’m betting the 11 year old was the “designated driver.” ;o)
Yup, except I’ll wager alcohol wasn’t the issue. This be meth country.
The 11 yr. old was driving because-THE 3 YEAR OLD WAS TOO DRUNK !!!