Reader reacts to fatal RHE crash: 'We can all learn from this'

A reader without a Facebook account asked me to post this comment on the death of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School student Annamay Naef in a crash this morning on Hawthorne Boulevard at PV Drive North.

I drove up to the scene of this horrible accident shortly after it happened. The paramedics were putting a sheet over who I now know to be Annamay. I would like to disagree with the previous poster who said the Honda [Civic] wasn't horribly messed up.

I was stopped in traffic by police with the rear of the car towards me and the angle was such that the passenger side was more exposed. I agree that I did not see an airbag on the passenger side. I did not have a view of the driver's side. I had to park away from the scene in order to walk past the accident and get my children to school.

I asked a policeman if the victim was wearing a seatbelt and he said, "yes". I subsequently learned on my return trip that it was a single car accident and smashing into the light pole at the intersection at a high rate of speed seemed the likely factor, that combined with the rain this morning.

The police added that the Civic was heading up hill on Hawthorne (towards the high school) so the excessive speed (if true) is doubly troubling. If another high school student was the driver I hope we can all learn from this and teach our newer drivers about driving in foul weather, as well as those adults who don't drive wisely in the rain in LA. It was terribly tragic and having to sit there at the scene for so long has driven the tragedy even more into my heart and memory. My thoughts and prayers to her friends and family. God bless.