‘Very difficult to process’: Northern California 15-year-old girl dies in off-roading accident

The Del Oro High School community is mourning a sophomore student who died in an off-road vehicle accident over the weekend, according to the Placer Union High School District.

Keira Bradley, 15, died Saturday in a utility terrain vehicle accident, the district said in a news release.

“Such tragedies, especially when they involve young people, are very difficult to process,” wrote Sarah Rath, a spokeswoman for the district.

The California Highway Patrol reported Bradley was driving a 4-seater Can-Am Defender XT with two other people. She was reversing the UTV onto an inclined paved driveway of a home in the 8900 block of Gold Blossom Way in Newcastle, a news release said.

She accidentally reversed the UTV into a steep embankment and lost control of the UTV, according to the CHP. The UTV rolled onto its side and Bradley died in the crash, CHP wrote.

Chaplains and other school resources will be provided to help with students and staff as they return to class, Rath wrote.

“Please join us in keeping Keira’s family, friends and the Del Oro community in your thoughts during these difficult times,” Rath said.

Del Oro High School is in Loomis and is one of five high schools in the Placer Union High School District.

The CHP is continuing its investigation into the incident, though official did not say if there were any other occupants of the vehicle.

This story was originally published December 18, 2023 at 10:18 AM.