Another Addition to the HolyCoast Hall of Dumb

It has sadly become a regular feature of this site to spotlight stories from Orange County involving youthful drivers and high-speed fatal accidents. I do these stories as a reminder to others, especially teen drivers, not to be dumb.

HUNTINGTON BEACH A 14-year-old boy in a car packed with teen-agers died Saturday night after the car, traveling at a high rate of speed, ran a stop sign and hit a car full of small children, said police and the driver of the car that was struck.

The man whose car was hit, Devin Miller, said this evening that investigators told him the vehicle that hit him was racing with at least one other car. Police would not confirm that.

"From what I got out of the incident was that two cars were racing, one was chasing," Miller said. He said he saw three cars being towed away.

No one in Miller's car was hurt.

Ty Van Nguyen, 18, of Garden Grove was driving southbound just before 5 p.m. in a black Acura Integra on Bushard Street when he ran the stop sign on Banning Avenue, Sgt. Rob Warden said in a news release.

The Acura collided with a white Cadillac Escalade driven by Miller, 39, who was heading east on Banning.

Miller was driving his family of five - including three boys, 5, 4, and 13 months - and a 5-year-old girl to a birthday party at the time.

"If I was one second (later), you wouldn't be talking to me or any of my kids," Miller said at his home on Sunday.

The 14-year-old Acura passenger was taken to a hospital, where he died at 8:14 p.m. His name was not released.

These things just don't have to happen.

UPDATE: The dead victim:

HUNTINGTON BEACH – The 14-year-old who died Saturday night after the car he was in ran a stop sign and hit a car full of small children, was identified today as Phoenix Nguyen, a Bolsa Grande High School basketball player and band member.

Last Monday, the freshman backup point guard received the Coach's Award at the basketball team banquet for being "an extension of the coach on the floor," varsity coach Scott Snyder said.

What a waste. Then there's this note about the vehicles involved:

No one in Miller's car was hurt.

Ty Van Nguyen, 18, of Garden Grove was driving southbound just before 5 p.m. in a black Acura Integra on Bushard Street when he ran the stop sign on Banning Avenue, police said in a news release.

The Acura collided with a white Cadillac Escalade driven by Miller, 39, who was driving east on Banning.

Miller was driving his family of five – including three boys, 5, 4, and 13 months – and a 5-year-old girl to a birthday party at the time.

"If I was one second (later), you wouldn't be talking to me or any of my kids," Miller said.

I wonder if Mr. Miller will consider buying a small fuel-efficient foreign car to replace his big fuel-guzzling American SUV? Probably not. That big car probably saved him and his family.