| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Oregon teenager killed in Sacramento van crash
Monday August 18, 2003SACRAMENTO (AP) A 14-year-old girl was killed when the van in which she was riding overturned south of Sacramento early Monday morning, California Highway Patrol officials said.
Jessy Newman, of Talent, Ore., was transported to University of California Medical Center after the crash on Interstate 5, which happened just before 5 a.m., said CHP Officer Jasper Begay. She died a few hours later.
The van's 11 passengers, ranging from 13 to 17, were part of larger Christian Fellowship group from Ashland, Ore., returning from a house-building project in Mexico, Begay said.
All of the 12 people in the 1994 Ford Econoline van were injured, with two teenagers remaining in the hospital with serious injuries, he said.
The driver, 28-year-old Jeremy Hascall, may have fallen asleep, then overcorrected when the van drifted onto the shoulder, Begay said.
``At that time, the vehicle overturned, and several passengers were ejected,'' he said. ``If they were wearing seat belts the injuries wouldn't be as severe.''
The CHP is still investigating the crash. No arrests have been made.
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