From Bill Lindelof:
A woman who was tossed over a freeway sound barrier and into a tree during a high-speed rollover accident was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, the California Highway Patrol said today.
The crash occurred Wednesday on Highway 99 near Mack Road south of Sacramento.
The woman, a passenger in the car, was identified as Sarah Judith Williams, 18, of Sacramento. Williams, reported to be in fair condition today, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center with possible fracture to her right ankle, abrasions to her face and a deep laceration on her back, a CHP spokesman said.
"The tree limbs cut her up," said Officer Michael Bradley, a CHP spokesman.
The driver of the car, Raymond Walker Jr., suffered minor abrasions to both hands and his face, possibly caused by activation of the vehicle's air bag.
"The preliminary investigation is that he made an unsafe turning movement," said Bradley, a maneuver that apparently led to the rollover.
Bradley said the CHP continues to investigate witness statements. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor.
The accident threw Williams over a 12-foot sound wall and into a nearby back yard.
When Sacramento firefighters arrived they found the badly damaged car but no victims in or near it, fire officials said.
Meanwhile, firefighters received another medical aid call from a home in the nearby 7300 block of Berna Way, just beyond the sound wall. There they found a woman in a tree and a man nearby, fire officials said.
Williams had been thrown from the car and into the tree, which cushioned her fall and saved her life, a fire spokesman said.
The man left the accident scene and crawled over to the woman, fire officials said.
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