A teenager died and five others were injured in a fiery crash in Dana Point Tuesday morning.
The six teenagers were traveling in a pickup when they crashed into a tree.
The identities of the teenagers are still unknown, but family and friends said a girl who died was 16 years old.
On the edge of Dana Point Harbor Drive, there is a small memorial with flowers and candles at the place where the pickup truck crashed.
According to the sheriff’s department, the crash occurred just before noon.
“I heard the accident and it sounded like a huge explosion,” Mark Przybylak, who lives in Dana Point, said.
Przybylak was nearby when it happened and said he ran to help without thinking.
Upon arriving at the scene of the crash, he found the driver seriously injured and the five other teenagers. Przybylak said he wants the girl’s parents to know their daughter was not alone in her final moments.
“I just stayed there with that girl, holding her hand. I could still feel the warmth in my hand. I prayed,” Przybylak said. “I want them to know she didn’t die alone, and God used me to hold her hand.”
Przybylak said he stayed with the teenager, held her hand, and prayed. He said other people soon arrived to help.
Gustavo Carmona, who was also nearby, witnessed the crash.
“It was destroyed from the front and sides. The firefighters had to remove one or two doors to get the children out,” he said.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, some of the teen’s were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The crash remains under investigation, and the cause is still unknown.
Source: NBC Los Angeles