4 Teenagers Injured in Crash on 118
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Four Simi Valley teenagers were injured--two critically--when their car hit a tree Sunday morning while exiting the Ronald Reagan Freeway at Sycamore Drive.
Mark Jesse Valdez, 17, is in critical condition with head injuries at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Martin Torres, 19, is in critical condition at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. Trinidad Torres, 18, was taken to Simi Valley Hospital in serious but stable condition. Medir Patel, 17, the driver of the vehicle, was treated and released from Simi Valley Hospital.
Patel was on the westbound offramp of the freeway about 3:50 a.m. when he attempted to turn right onto Sycamore and lost control of the car, the California Highway Patrol said. The car became airborne and hit the tree broadside.
The driver apparently called police from a cellular phone, said CHP dispatcher Bob Inman.
Three of the teenagers, including the driver, were trapped in the car, the CHP said. One of the passengers was found outside of the vehicle, but it was not clear if he had been ejected.
The CHP does not suspect drinking was involved, and no arrests were made, Inman said.
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