5 California teen ballet dancers injured as Mercedes driver runs red light and rams into their car
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: A hit-and-run driver in a Mercedes rammed a vehicle carrying five teenage ballet dancers, leaving them severely injured. The driver blew through a red light before hitting the dancers' car on Saturday evening, February 11, 2023.
After finishing their ballet class, the teenagers were traveling to Seal Beach, California, for dinner on the evening of the incident. The impact of the smash left four of the five girls unconscious. Two of the teenagers currently remain in the hospital where all five of them were taken to after the incident, reported Daily Mail.
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Who were the teenagers injured in Seal beach hit-and-run?
Rhyann Diaz, Camille Williamson, Saori Maeda, Katrina Vija, and Liv Wreck were the teenagers who were injured in the horrifying hit-and-run incident on Saturday. Liv Wreck, one of the five girls who survived the accident shared a post on Instagram briefing the incident and thanking people for their support to the teenagers. In the post, Wreck revealed details of the evening and wrote, "We had just finished ballet class and were heading to our Galentine’s Day dinner on Main Street. As you can see in the footage, the suspect clearly had no regard for anyone around him and just plowed into us going anywhere from 70-80 mph. This hit caused all of us to suffer from various injuries, and of course traumatic emotional damage."
Among the five, the worst injured was Diaz who sat just behind the driver's seat. Shattering her pelvis and lungs punctured, the smash also broke all of her ribs. Surveillance footage showed the dancers' sedan spun when they were hit by the Mercedes that blew through the red light and plowed into a bus stop. Williamson and Diaz currently remain in the facility.
Is the hit-and-run driver identified?
The hit-and-run driver still remains at large and the dancers are now appealing for help from the public to identify the young man who fled the scene on foot. Police describe the driver as a Hispanic male who is aged between 18 and 20.
Ballet school attended by the girls is now raising funds to help them pay their medical expenses. The five teenagers will be able to resume dancing, however, it remains unclear when they will be able to dance again.
Talking to KTLA, Diaz's mother Rosanna told, "I believe she took the full impact. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe anybody was going that fast, didn’t have any intention of slowing down," and Diaz said, "I do want to get back to the studio as soon as possible, but I do need to make sure that I’m taking care of myself."
On the GoFundMe page set up by studio owners David and Renee Kim, they have revealed that all the girls have sustained "serious injuries." They said, "While the dancers have sustained a multitude of serious injuries, we are able to share good news that all five have survived and will journey on their road to recovery."
Talking about the studio's connection with the dancers, the owners expressed their hope that the teenagers will overcome their tragic situation. They said, "As we have coached these wonderful young ladies in their ballet training for many years and currently teach them on a daily basis, all five are more than just students to us and are truly like family. While this terrible accident has left us devastated and heartbroken, we know our girls are strong, resilient individuals who will overcome this tragedy."
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run driver in the Mercedes is requested to contact the Seal Beach Police Department at (562) 594-7232.