Police investigating teen’s deadly ride on car roof
Personal Injury News
Article Date: 8/10/2009 | Resource: MLG
Police investigating teen’s deadly ride on car roof
“t could take weeks to find out whether 17-year-old was trying to stop car or taking a ride.”
No arrests have been made after the accidental death of a Servite High School student, police said today.
Christopher Michael Hernandez II, 17, who was going into his senior year at the all-boys Catholic school in Anaheim, died Saturday afternoon at UCI Medical Center in Orange, with his parents at his side, police said.
Hernandez fell off the roof of his family’s 2006 Nissan Altima on Friday night as it turned from Brannen Drive onto Wildrose Lane in Huntington Beach, suffering major injuries to the head and stomach.
A 17-year-old friend, whom police have not identified publicly, was driving at the time.
Lt. Russell Reinhart, a spokesman for the Huntington Beach Police Department, declined to say whether the accident was the result of a roof-riding stunt, or whether Hernandez was trying to stop a friend who was taking his car as a joke.
There were “numerous firsthand witnesses,” Reinhart said, but the investigation could take two weeks to a month, as is common when there is a death.
At that point, the district attorney would determine whether charges should be filed, Reinhart said.
In an announcement posted to Servite’s Web site, Hernandez was remembered: “Always humble, always treating others with respect and kindness, Chris graced Servite with his intelligence, determination and musical talent. He was a young man of many accomplishments; an Eagle Scout, an excellent student, and a gifted musician. He played bass for the Servite Jazz Band and Campus Ministry Music Team. His love of music and the Lord brought beauty to every liturgy.”
For more information regarding this article please contact:
Jeffrey Marquart
(949)589-0150
jmarquart@marquartlawgroup.com