By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
November 1, 2007

Five teenagers escaped injury on Friday when the vehicle they were riding in plunged into the Columbia River.

Hood River City Police Officer Erin Mason was dispatched to the Hook about 5:41 p.m. He observed a green Subaru Legacy lying on its top in the water. The occupants of the vehicle had all gotten out of the car safely and were uninjured.

Mason contacted them at the Holly Drive house where they had gone after the accident. One of the female passengers said she had been in the back seat talking on a cell phone. She did not remember much about the wreck other than being upside down in the water.

Upon further investigation, Mason learned that a 16-year-old May Street male without a license had been driving the car. He admitted to losing control of the vehicle after going around a corner too fast. He said the car veered off the roadway and rolled down the hill and into the water.

The teen told Mason that he was not good at driving a stick shift and should not have been going an estimated 34-40 mph.

None of the other passengers had anything further to add regarding the crash.

Juvenile authorities were alerted about the situation and the driver was cited for reckless driving and having no operator’s license. He was released to the custody of his father.