18-year-old dies after friend crashes Audi in suspected DUI in Redwood City: CHP

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Mangled, twisted metal was pulled onto a tow truck bed Sunday morning. It was what was left of a black Audi after a heartbreaking and fatal crash involving two teenagers.

“Extremely tragic especially at that age a lot of life ahead of them,” said CHP Redwood City Officer Kurtis Waldschmidt.

The California Highway Patrol said the 18-year-old passenger died after her 18-year-old friend crashed while driving at about 3:20 a.m. in Redwood City.

Officers said the driver was on Southbound 101 just passed the Whipple Avenue exit when she drove off the highway, down an embankment and went airborne before crashing into a light pole and flipping over on Veterans Boulevard.

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Speed is being investigated as a factor, but Officer Waldschmidt said the driver was likely drunk, “For somebody to lose a person they know and also in the manner in which it happened. It’s been a very tragic last couple of days for us.”

This is at least the fourth fatal incident CHP Redwood City has investigated in the last nine days.

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The driver was taken to Stanford Medical Center to be treated for major injuries. The CHP said she was arrested on charges of DUI and vehicular manslaughter.

Both teens lived in San Jose.

The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office was on scene of the fatal crash. Their office tells KTVU they won’t release the identity of the victim until Monday at the earliest.