According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are some 2.4 million incidents of teens driving after drinking occur every month. The federal agency also reports that approximately one in five teens who are involved in a fatal crash will be found with alcohol in their system; even though it’s illegal in all states for anyone under the age of 21 to consume alcoholic beverages
Mercury News reports that this statistic became a tragic reality when an 18-year-old male driver got behind the wheel of his car on Saturday night. As he was driving along the Byron Highway, the driver struck and killed two other teens who were walking along the narrow shoulder of the highway near Brentwood on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol (CHP) told reporters in a statement that the fatal crash happened at approximately 11:15 p.m. near Knightsen on Saturday, September 4, 2021.
The driver has been identified as 18-year-old Colby Sharver of Knightsen. Colby was driving his 2002 Subaru Impreza 8300 block of the Byron Highway. Sharver struck two teens, an 18-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy who happened to be walking together along the shoulder of the highway.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene. Both teen pedestrians were declared dead at the scene of the crash. Colby remained at the scene and was questioned by the CHP.
Officers with the California Highway Patrol arrested Sharver on the charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Sharver is currently being held at the Martinez Detention Facility.
The accident is currently under investigation. This is a developing story.
