Two teens die after crash on freeway

Karen Zekan

Monday, March 2, 1998 | 10:14 a.m.

A freak auto accident that killed two Las Vegas teenagers and injured two others remains under investigation today by the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Kena Corbett and Olga Lopez, both 16, died early Sunday morning from injuries suffered hours earlier while riding in the back seat of a 1993 Honda four-door car that flipped over and hit a concrete jersey wall on U.S. 95 south of Lake Mead Drive in Henderson. Corbett died from a fractured skull and Lopez from asphyxiation, a spokeswoman for the coroner's office said today.

Amber Carey, 16, was at the wheel heading north Saturday about 11 p.m. when the left rear tire separated, sending the car into a broadside skid, said Trooper Steve Harney, Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman.

"As the car started to overturn, it vaulted and hit the jersey wall, crushing the ceiling of the car," Harney said. "The car slid down a concrete embankment and into a drain."

All passengers were transported to University Medical Center. Carey remained in serious but stable condition Sunday evening. Samantha Jenkins, 14, was treated and released.

The victims were identified as El Dorado High School students, and at least one was believed to have been a cheerleader.

Harney said a preliminary investigation revealed that the rubber on the left rear tire had peeled off for unknown reasons.