SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say a teenage girl fatally hit by a car on a Sacramento freeway was trying to help another teen who had run away from a youth home.
California Highway Patrol officials say the accident occurred after a “very distraught” teenage girl left the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home Wednesday night, The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday.
The girl stepped onto the highway and her friend, who also lived at the facility, followed her into traffic, CHP spokesman Greg Zumstein said. The friend was struck by a car. Firefighters pronounced her dead at the scene.
The other girl was not injured.
The driver stayed at the scene and was cooperative with authorities, Zumstein said. Officers saw no signs of driver impairment.
According to a CHP log, other people from the youth home came to the scene. An ambulance was requested for one juvenile for an involuntary psychiatric hold.
The teen’s body was transported to the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
A representative for the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. According to the its website, the private facility houses children affected by abuse, neglect and behavioral health issues.
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