Two young women are dead and two other people are hurt after an SUV carrying four people left westbound Highway 24 in Orinda the night of Friday, Nov. 13, in a crash that remains under investigation. A 20-year-old woman in the front passenger seat and a 19-year-old woman seated in the back were both pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver and a 16-year-old boy in the back seat were hospitalized.
According to SFGATE, California Highway Patrol officers responded at 10:05 p.m. to the single-vehicle crash on westbound Highway 24 just east of Camino Pablo. A separate local account, from news24-680.com, said the crash was initially reported at 10:06 p.m. Friday, with passersby describing a vehicle off the highway and into the trees — a minor discrepancy in timing that the available reporting does not resolve.
The vehicle involved is identified in SFGATE's reporting, attributed to the California Highway Patrol, as a gray Infiniti SUV carrying four people. The local outlet, however, reported that passersby initially described a black SUV off the highway westbound. Neither the vehicle's exact color nor its make can be confirmed as settled based on the conflicting accounts, and this article presents both versions rather than choosing one.
Driver And Teen Passenger Hospitalized
The SUV's driver, a 19-year-old man, was ejected from the vehicle and was not wearing a seat belt, per the reporting attributed to CHP. He was taken to a local hospital with moderate injuries. The front-right passenger, the 20-year-old woman who died, also was not wearing a seat belt, while the 19-year-old woman in the rear-right seat, who likewise died, had been wearing hers.
The 16-year-old boy seated in the rear-left position was wearing a seat belt and sustained major injuries; he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The same reporting states that investigators have not suspected alcohol or drug impairment as a factor in the crash.
Tree Reportedly Fell On SUV's Roof
Per the local account, the SUV veered off Highway 24 and crashed into a tree near the Camino Pablo offramp, and a tree then toppled onto the vehicle's roof. That detail has not appeared in the other available reporting on the crash.
The crash remains under investigation, and CHP has asked any witnesses to contact the agency's Contra Costa Area office in Martinez at 925-387-1900 or by email at [email protected].
Stretch Of Highway Has Seen Fatal Crashes Before
This is not the first fatal solo crash reported near this stretch of road. A separate 2019 crash described by sfgate.com involved a red 2009 Nissan Versa that went off westbound Highway 24 just east of Camino Pablo, killing three people who were all pronounced dead at the scene. That solo crash happened shortly after 3 a.m., and CHP said at the time that investigators had not determined how fast the Nissan was traveling or whether alcohol or drugs played a role. The available evidence does not establish a broader pattern of crashes along this corridor, but the earlier case underscores that this section of highway has seen fatal outcomes before.
