Heartbreak as new father, 16, dies in head-on crash with woman, 67, driving the wrong way down major highway at 80mph at 3am – as horrifying pictures show their mangled wrecked cars
A teenage father was killed in a horrific head-on crash involving a woman who was driving the wrong way on a major California highway at 3 a.m.
Shocking photos show the mangled vehicles in the aftermath of the crash that killed Thomas Ryder Shoup, 16, and Eileen Crawford, 67.
Shoup, better known as Ryder Day, was described by family members as “the sweetest kid,” while friends said Crawford had been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
California Highway Patrol said Crawford’s Honda Civic was traveling the wrong way on Interstate 5 in Southern California on April 10 at a speed of 75 to 80 mph.
She collided head-on with the Dodger Challenger driven by Ryder, a 10th-grader at Mar Vista High School who has an infant son named Marcelo.
Teen father Thomas Ryder Shoup was killed in a horrific head-on collision with a woman who was driving the wrong way on a major California highway at 3 a.m.
Shocking photos show the mangled vehicles in the aftermath of the crash that killed Thomas Ryder Shoup, 16, and Eileen Crawford, 67
California Highway Patrol said Crawford’s Honda Civic was traveling the wrong way on Interstate 5 in Southern California on April 10 at a speed of 75 to 80 mph.
The Dodge Challenger caught fire and quickly became completely engulfed in flames, and both drivers became trapped in their car before being killed at the scene, CHP said.
“Ryder was the sweetest kid and touched the lives of everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him,” he said fundraising reads for his family.
“Ryder has been surrounded by so much love since the day he was born and could light up a room with his infectious smile.
‘He was able to achieve so much at just 16 years old and is survived by his son Marcelo and his girlfriend Eliana, who meant the world to Ryder.’
The city of Imperial Beach, where Ryder lived, shared a statement remembering him as a popular teenager who was part of the city’s junior lifeguard program.
“His instructors knew him as a great kid who was very well-liked. Ryder was very athletic, competitive and always had a smile on his face,” officials said.
“When I found out, my heart skipped a beat,” said Ryder’s friend, Gilbert Solis.
“He always had a smile on that face, on the field or on the sidelines. He always had a big white smile on his face.”
Shoup, better known as Ryder Day, was described as ‘the sweetest child’ by family members on a GoFundMe
The crash site, on I-5 near the San Ysidro port of entry, is littered with debris and the two vehicles at the scene were almost completely destroyed.
It’s not clear how Crawford started driving the wrong way on the highway, but her car had been speeding in that direction for about six miles before the crash.
The CHP said concerned motorists alerted them that the Honda was traveling the wrong way, but the crash occurred just three minutes after the initial 911 call.
Her neighbor Francisco Beltran said she had undergone radiation treatment for cancer and was sometimes forgetful.
“Sometimes she would go south feeling empty and leave,” Beltran told NBC.
A toxicology report to determine whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash has yet to be released.