1 Teen Killed, 2 Injured as Car Goes Off Road

A 17-year-old passenger was killed and two other occupants of a speeding vehicle were injured early Sunday when their car careened off the Ventura Freeway in Agoura Hills and burst into flames, authorities said.

Two motorists, one an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer, stopped and pulled the two 17-year-old survivors from the burning wreckage, saving their lives, according to the CHP. The dead youth was identified by the coroner’s office as Frederick Skinner of Agoura Hills.

The Ford Bronco was traveling west on the freeway at between 90 and 100 mph when it went over the side of the road, rolled over several times and caught fire, the CHP said.

Officer Douglas Reynolds was heading home just before 4 a.m. when he saw the car drift across traffic lanes and go down the embankment near the Liberty Canyon Road offramp. Parts of the vehicle were already on fire when Reynolds arrived at the scene of the accident.

With the assistance of an unidentified motorist, Reynolds pulled the driver and the front-seat passenger from the wreck, just seconds before the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames, the CHP said.

Skinner, who was riding in the back seat, was pronounced dead at the accident scene. The surviving passenger, who suffered moderate injuries, was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The driver was taken to Westlake Medical Center for minor injuries.

The names of the two survivors, who were also from Agoura Hills, were withheld. A CHP spokesman said Reynolds will likely be nominated for a medal of valor for his role in saving the lives of the driver and front-seat passenger.

The CHP said the cause of the accident is under investigation.