The street that comes down into our neighborhood has a long 90+ degree winding and fairly steeply descending turn that has a posted 30 mph speed limit. Given that the turn is somewhat off-camber, you don't want to try it any faster than that.
At the end of those skidmarks is this tree:
Four high school kids in a VW decided to try the hill at 50 (according to a witness I talked to). The car lost control, turned around at least 180 degrees, impacted a tree on the driver's side and rolled down about a 30-40 foot embankment right next to the house at the end of my street. I ran in the direction of the sound and found this:
At the time of day when this happened it's not unusual to see kids walking home from school or heading up to the pool on the sidewalk that car crossed as it was wrecking. The witness told me a little girl with a backpack was just up the street when the car crashed. It could have been really tragic.
Although two kids went to the hospital, both appeared to have relatively minor injuries compared to the condition of the car. 
That's my neighbor, a registered nurse, assisting an injured girl. She's been on the scene for more than one accident on that street. I don't think she enjoys this kind of work.
Someone who knew the kids told me that the driver had not yet completed his one year probation period, and in California, until they've had their license for a year they can't carry passengers other than family members. I've afraid his problems are just starting. I couldn't help but feel very sorry for that mom and dad. The dad came over and apologized to the owner of the house where the car came to a stop. That must have been very difficult for him and it was a classy thing to do.
I wish I could have rounded up every teen driver in the neighborhood and brought them over to see that wreck. Sometimes a wake-up call like that can save other lives (I know my son got the message).
Once everybody was taken away the tow truck guys had to haul the car back up the embankment. That's a sight I don't really want to see again.
The house that's right above this accident scene is one I could never live in. I'm surprised that in my 18 years living down here there's never been a car into that house. They came close today. I'd be a nervous wreck if I lived up there.
My thanks to my son who took many of the photos above. A photojournalist from the Orange County Register stopped by and he sent some of these pictures to her. Who knows, he might get his name in the paper along with a photo credit. (UPDATE - Here's the Register story. They used a photo from one of the other neighbor kids.)
We've had a number of fatal accidents in South County involving young drivers and high speeds. I'm glad this wasn't one of them.
UPDATE 2: As we drove home from dinner the accident investigators were measuring the lengthy skidmarks on the street, and I realized that it's probably a good thing that tree was there. Had it not been, that car would have been airborn off that embankment and probably would have crashed into my neighbor's house. I'm guessing there would have been much worse injuries as well.
UPDATE 3 on the Olympus Drive crash: My son told me that the 2nd kid who was taken to the hospital after complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath had a broken rib and punctured lung. Pretty serious injury, and I wonder if he got that when the car struck the tree, and was he wearing a seatbelt at the time (the driver told the cops that everybody had their belts on). Secondly, other kids who know the driver said they'd never get in a car with him because he had a reputation of driving like an idiot. The reputation was apparently well earned. He was also driving on a provisional license which means he was never supposed to carry his friends in the car without a licensed adult in the car. I'm guessing he'll be riding his bike to school for awhile.
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