Girl Hikes 7 Miles to Get Help After Jeep Crashes, Killing 1
A 17-year-old Saugus girl hiked barefoot for seven miles through rugged terrain for help after a Jeep plummeted 500 feet off a road, killing one teen-ager and critically injuring two others, Los Angeles County fire officials said.
Shannon Callahan escaped the crash with minor injuries and, after hiking for two hours in the dark, was able to direct rescuers to the accident, said Fire Department spokesman Mark Savage.
Larrisa Cox, 18, was dead at the scene, said California Highway Patrol Officer Carolyn Edwards. William Becker, 20, of Newhall, and Kevin MacDonald, 20, of Saugus, were taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia in critical condition.
A fire, apparently started by one of the victims to signal for help, spread to nearby brush, charring two acres and complicating rescue efforts, Savage said.
The accident occurred about 1:15 a.m. on a remote fire access road in northern Los Angeles County, Edwards said. The road took an abrupt turn, but the driver kept going on a side road that dead-ended, and the Jeep went over the hillside, tumbling several times, she said.
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