Solo Crash Causes Major Injuries for Three Novato Brothers- August 6, 2016

Three brothers, aged five to sixteen, suffered major injuries in a Sunday evening crash. The driver of the car overturned it and ran into a highway 101 power pole. At approximately 9:34 pm on Sunday the 7th, just north of Atherton trapped the driver inside 2014 Chevy Equinox where first responders had to extricate him among a mass of fallen live power lines. The driver and two passengers were taken to two different hospitals. The driver’s injuries were more severe than the two passengers. California Highway Patrol investigations showed the 16-year-old driver had panicked and over- corrected when the vehicle drifted off road. The drivers over correction caused the car to turn over. Once it slid into the power pole there was a huge intrusion into the roof of the car narrowly missing the front seats. The five and 13-year-old passengers removed themselves from the car. The tree brothers were travelling in a caravan of tree on the way to Santa Rosa. California Highway Patrol investigators believe fatigue was a major contributing factor. Penalties may be enacted as the 16-year-old driver was legally unable to carry passengers under 20 years of age as a restriction of his licensing.