Calpella teen killed in Willits crash

An 18-year-old Calpella boy was killed in a crash Thursday night near Willits.

The teen was ejected from the front passenger seat of a 2010 Toyota Sequoia when the SUV ran off the road and hit a tree at 9:28 p.m. on Eastside Road, CHP officials said.

Driver Sparrow Brown-Steele, 19, of Ukiah appears to have made an “unsafe turning movement” on the road east of Willits and allowed the Toyota to run off the road, according to the CHP report. The front right side of the vehicle struck a tree, causing the Toyota to overturn several times and ejecting the 18-year-old passenger, who died of his injuries.

A 15-year-old boy in the backseat behind the driver suffered lacerations and a broken rib in the crash, according to the CHP. His name was not released. Brown-Steele had no reported injuries, the CHP said.

The teen’s name was being withheld pending the notification of his family.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjreport.