Ladera Ranch Unlicensed Driver Strikes Wall Over Memorial Day Weekend

LADERA RANCH, CA — On Sunday, an unlicensed driver lost control of the sedan she was driving at the Windmill Roundabout, crashing into a brick wall on Sienna Parkway, California Highway Patrol officer Rafael Reynoso said. Excessive speed was the cause of the single car collision, Reynoso reported.

The unnamed 16-year-old female unlicensed driver made an unsafe turning movement (for an unknown reason) on Sienna Parkway through the roundabout at Windmill Avenue, according to Reynoso.

"(Investigators determined) that the unsafe turning movement plus her unsafe speed for the conditions of the road caused the driver to lose control of the 2016 Audi A4 that she was driving," he said.

The driver careened off the roadway into the concrete curb and up towards the dirt embankment toward a block wall.

"The vehicle was impounded due to the fact the driver was unlicensed," Reynoso said.

The OCFA's Engine 58 of Ladera Ranch responded to the scene where one of the 16-year old male passengers was transported Ambulance to a local area hospital, after complaining of neck pain, officials said.

No other injuries were reported to the driver or other two male occupants. The cause of the crash is under investigation, California Highway Patrol officials said.

"This street is typically filled with kids on bicycles, mothers pushing strollers, it's scary to think this happened here," one resident said.

The scar of the vehicle that drove up the embankment is still visible as of Tuesday, residents said.

Video, courtesy Amy Spurgeon Hoffman, Rancho Post Gazette. Photos, courtesy OCFA Stephen Horner

(Story updated to reflect "unlicensed" and not "underage" driver.)