Four young California girls were killed in a horror car crash that maimed two others after they were ran off the road by an oncoming car, their devastated families revealed.
In a nightmarish scenario straight out of a horror movie, the crash unfolded in the early evening on Friday in San Francisco when a car carrying six teen girls was ‘ran off the road’ by another motorist, causing them to collide with a tree.
Authorities identified the deceased girls as Olive Koren, 14, Josalynn Osborn, 15, Sienna Katz, 15, and Ada Kepley, 15, with Elsa Laremont Stranczek, 16, and Marley Barclay, 14, surviving the crash.
Stranczek and Barclay were both critically injured in the incident and remain in hospital, and Barclay’s parents Jessica Glantz and Ross Barclay revealed the chilling events that led up to the crash at a press conference on Monday.
The parents said the girls’ car was ‘run off the road’ by an oncoming car that ‘veered into their lane’, causing the driver of their vehicle to swerve into a tree to avoid a head-on collision.
They added there is ‘no evidence’ that alcohol was involved in the crash, and did not say who was driving.
The driver of the other vehicle has not been identified, and investigations into the crash are still ongoing.
‘What Marley remembers of the moments before the accident is that they were going around a blind turn, and another car veered into their lane,’ the parents said.
The family of survivor Marley Barclay (left) revealed that an as-yet-unidentified driver ‘ran them off the road’ when she and five friends crashed on Friday evening, killing four including friend Olive Koren, 14 (right)
Ada Kepley, 15, was identified by authorities as one of the teens who was killed in the crash
Josalynn Osborn, 15, tragically lost her life in the crash on Friday evening in Fairfax, San Francisco
Sienna Katz, pictured with her mother, was remembered as a ‘vibrant, smart, and caring fifteen-year-old’
Barclay’s parents said their daughter left home on Friday evening at 6:30pm, around an hour before the crash, and walked into downtown Fairfax to meet her friends, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
Officials have not said who was driving the vehicle, but indicated they were one of the survivors.
Three of the victims were tragically pronounced dead at the scene, with a fourth dying later that night at hospital.
The crash has shocked the community in Fairfax County, about 22 miles north of downtown San Francisco, as tributes poured in for the girls, as their heartbroken families said the victims had all been friends since kindergarten.
Scrutiny has also fallen on who was driving the vehicle, as California only grants driver’s licenses to teenagers at 16 under strict conditions.
These include drivers not being allowed to carry passengers under 20 unless accompanies by a licensed adult.
Barclay’s parents said their daughter told them in hospital that all the girls were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash and hadn’t been drinking.
The crash unfolded around 7:40pm on Friday in Fairfax, San Francisco, when a car carrying six teen girls was ‘ran off the road’ by another motorist, causing them to collide with a tree
The parents of the girls said they are ‘grateful to be able to lean on each other during this horrible experience’ as the horror crash shocked their community
Olive Koren’s heartbroken family said she was a ‘bright light in everyone’s life’ who ‘always had a smile’
They did not offer details about her injuries, but said she ‘has a long and painful road to recovery ahead of her.’
‘One other passenger joins Marley as a survivor, and we offer all our love and support to her family,’ they added. ‘We are grateful to be able to lean on each other during this horrible experience.’
The teen survivor’s parents said they are also still searching for a woman who witnessed the aftermath of the accident, who ‘pulled Marley from the vehicle and saved her life.’
They said they have not been able to identify the woman to thank her in person and urged her to come forward so they could do so.
Separate GoFundMe pages have been set up by the families of Olive, Josalyn, Ada, Sienna and Marley – which have raised over $400,000 combined.
In a heartbreaking tribute on Sienna’s page, she was described as a ‘vibrant, smart and caring 15-year-old’ who was ‘a bright light in this world.’
‘Sienna was treasured by her mother, her father Rob Katz, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who cannot imagine life without her,’ the tribute read.
‘Sienna loved spending time with her family, her dog Daisy, and laughing, singing, and having sleepovers with her friends. We will all miss her beautiful smile, kind spirit, and loving presence in our lives.’
Marley’s (pictured) parents said their daughter has a ‘long road to recovery.’ The other survivor, Elsa Laremont Stranczek, 16, has not been pictured
Josy’s mother wrote in a devastating tribute that her daughter’s passing ‘is every mother’s worst nightmare’
Olive was described by her loved ones as ‘kind, beautiful, smart and sassy’
Ada’s family said she was ‘known for her witty humor, creativity, and kind heart by her friends and family.’
The family of Josalynn – who went by Josy – said she was ‘so full of light and we’ll miss her dearly.’
‘This is every mother’s worst nightmare,’ the fundraiser added. ‘This is a huge devastation to the whole community. We will stay strong together, loving one another through this.’
Olive Koren’s heartbroken family said she was a ‘bright light in everyone’s life’ who ‘always had a smile.’
‘She had a wonderful appetite for food and for life. She was kind, she was beautiful, she was smart and sassy, and a faithful friend. She loved her family, friends, and pets. She was also loved by so many around her,’ her family said.
‘Her time was way too short here.’
