Teen Girl Killed When Suspected DUI Driver Crashed Into BART Pillar in W. Oakland

A teen girl riding as a passenger in a car possibly driven by an intoxicated man died during a head-on collision with a pillar supporting the elevated BART tracks in West Oakland Monday morning, police said.

Officers responded to a report of a solo-vehicle crash at Fifth and Union streets around 1:25 a.m. on Monday, police Officer J. Moore said.

Upon arrival, officers located a white 1995 Mercedes C220 that had collided head-on with a pillar supporting the weight of the elevated BART tracks, according to police Officer Johnna Watson.

Emergency crews responded to the scene and removed the two people from the car.

The 17-year-old female passenger, identified only as an Oakland resident, was pronounced dead at the scene, Watson said. The female's identity is being withheld pending family notification.

The driver of the Mercedes has been identified only as a 24-year-old Oakland man. He was transported to a hospital where he is listed in critical condition, according to Watson.

The preliminary investigation into the crash indicates that the driver was speeding while traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Fifth Street, when the driver failed to negotiate a turn, just west of Union Street.

The driver lost control and the car crossed over the raised center median and collided head-on with a support pillar for the elevated tracks.

Investigators believe alcohol may have been a factor in the collision, Watson said.

The crash remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Lisa Ausmus in the Oakland Police Department's Traffic Investigation Unit at (510) 777-8570.

--Bay City News