SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A 18-year-old driver and his 18-year-old passenger died after the pickup truck they were in slammed into a pole near SeaWorld San Diego Wednesday night.
The crash was reported just before 9:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Sea World Drive, in Mission Bay, according to San Diego Police.
Police said the driver was behind the wheel of a 2003 Ford F-150 truck with his female passenger at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle. The truck, which was traveling westbound, struck a light pole and then a streetlight, police said.
Responding emergency crews had to use the Jaws of Life to free the driver and passenger from the wreckage, but police confirmed the teens died at the scene.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and no other injuries were reported.
The SDPD Traffic Division is investigating the cause of the crash.
Riley Burke was a friend of the driver. She says he was a recent graduate of Montecito High in Ramona.
"Just very funny and caring, and he was always there if you needed him. If you had a bad day, he'd be there to talk to you ... This just doesn't seem real. I feel like I'm going to wake up from a dream," said Burke.
Darrell Smith says he hired the teen, a family friend, to do work around the house.
"Did landscaping work and other work. He was working to build his own business," said Smith.
Both Smith and Burke say the details of the crash are surprising, because the teen was known as a safe driver.
"I trusted him with my vehicles. He's always been a slow, cautious driver," said Smith.
