Elk Grove Schools Support Students After Fatal Teen Crash

Elk Grove Unified School District said on Monday, May 18, that it was providing counseling and other support services after a crash in Sloughhouse killed two teenage girls and critically injured three other teenagers. The district said students from its schools were among those involved in the early-morning crash in southeastern Sacramento County. California Highway Patrol officers said the vehicle struck a tree and caught fire. The deaths and injuries rippled across multiple Elk Grove campuses as students returned to class. District spokesperson Xanthi Levasseur told local media that four of the five teenagers were current Elk Grove Unified students and the fifth had previously attended the district. The district said counseling resources were being made available for students and staff as families and classmates absorbed the news. CHP said the cause of the crash remained under investigation. ### Which schools are offering support to students? Elk Grove Unified said counseling resources were available at Elk Grove High School, Katherine L. Albiani Middle School and Pleasant Grove High School after the crash. Levasseur said the district was coordinating support services for both students and staff at those campuses. The district did not immediately release additional details about how long counselors would remain on site. Levasseur asked the community to keep the affected families and loved ones in their thoughts and to respect their privacy as they grieve. ### What do officials say happened in the crash? The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 12:30 a.m. Sunday on Scott Road, north of Latrobe Road, in the Sloughhouse area. Officers said a 2023 BMW X4 left the roadway, hit a tree and became engulfed in flames. CHP said a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old died in the crash. Three other teenagers were pulled from the vehicle and taken to hospitals with critical injuries, according to local reports citing fire and highway patrol officials. ### Who were the teenagers involved? ABC10 reported that Elk Grove Unified confirmed students were among the victims and injured survivors. Local reports said one of the teenagers who died was a student in the district, and injured students included teenagers connected to Pleasant Grove High School. People, citing local reporting, said the district confirmed that four of the five teenagers were current students and the fifth was a former student. Authorities had not publicly released all of the names of those involved as of Tuesday. ### How did the community respond? Passersby helped pull injured teenagers from the burning vehicle before emergency crews arrived, according to local reports. That account was repeated in coverage from Sacramento-area outlets as residents and classmates began sharing condolences. Patch's Elk Grove roundup on May 19 highlighted the school district's response as the community rallied around the affected families. Public discussion in local coverage focused on support for the teenagers' relatives and classmates while investigators worked to determine what caused the vehicle to leave the road. ### What comes next in the investigation? CHP said the investigation was ongoing and that autopsies were expected to be completed this week. Officials had not announced a final determination on speed, impairment or any other contributing factor. Elk Grove Unified's immediate next step is continuing campus-based counseling and support for students and staff at the three named schools. Further updates are expected from the California Highway Patrol and Sacramento County authorities as the investigation progresses.