Survivor attributes Wrightwood crash to driver’s inexperience with manual car
Naomi Potter, a survivor of a September 4 ejection crash on Highway 2, said the driver’s unfamiliarity with a manual transmission caused the vehicle to leave the road and hit a pole.
On the early morning of September 4, a group of six friends traveling on Highway 2 near Wrightwood suffered a fatal ejection crash after the car left the road and struck a utility pole. Four passengers - Jason Potter, Rebekah Cabral-Gonzalez, Cole Torres and driver Nevaeh Harper - were killed. Naomi Potter, who sat in the front passenger seat and was secured by a seatbelt, and one other passenger survived, though Naomi sustained fractured ribs and a severely bruised lung.
Naomi recounted that Harper, who was not accustomed to the manual-shift vehicle, was fiddling with the clutch and shift moments before the turn that sent the car off the road. Authorities noted that alcohol contributed to the crash and that none of the other occupants were wearing seatbelts. Fundraising efforts have been launched to support the families of the deceased.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the dangers of driving unfamiliar manual cars and the importance of seatbelt use.
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