The California Highway Patrol is telling a whole different story than the two teens who survived a fatal crash in Marin County this April, saying that the 16-year-old driver was speeding, and recommending vehicular manslaughter charges.

The Marin County communities of Fairfax and Woodacre were devastated when an April 18 car crash killed four teens who attended Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo, and left the teen driver and one other teen in the vehicle severely injured. The victims killed were 14-year-old Olive Koren, 15-year-old Sienna Katz, 15-year-old Josalyn Osborn, and 15-year-old Ada Kepley.

One survivor, 14-year-old Marley Barclay, told investigators that a Volkswagen SUV veered into their lane on San Geronimo Valley Road, causing the 16-year-old driver to swerve into a tree where the vehicle burst into flames upon impact.

But the California Highway Patrol (CHP) sees things differently. The Chronicle obtained a copy of the CHP investigation into the matter, which blames the crash on the 16-year-old driver for speeding. That CHP report says she was driving between 20 and 25 miles over the speed limit, or more specifically, at a rate of 60 to 65 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone.

Drugs and alcohol had already been ruled out as having been possible factors in the crash.

And it seems quite serious that the CHP is recommending that the 16-year-old driver who survived face gross vehicular manslaughter charges over her alleged speeding, the accusation of an unsafe turn, and her having been on a provisional license under which she was not allowed to legally drive passengers younger than 20 years old.

That 16-year-old driver had been previously identified in the media reports as a crash survivor, though we generally do not name the names of minors facing criminal charges. Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli has not commented on whether she would proceed with any charges.

The CHP's investigative reports says "speed was an associated factor contributing to this crash due to the roadway's limited sight distance, narrow lanes, small shoulders, and forest bordering both sides." That report added that the driver "only had her license for five months and likely lacked the experience to safely handle these road conditions at a high speed."

Though the CHP's evidence that the young driver was speeding seems based on this photo of the vehicle's charred speedometer. That may or may not be enough to merit vehicular manslaughter charges on a 16-year-old.

"Due to the instant power loss, the speedometer froze at 60-65 mph," the report said, per the Chron. "Based on the design of the motors in the instrument panel, it was determined that this would have been an accurate speed at the time of power loss during the impact with the tree. This speed would not account for any braking or slowing prior to striking the tree. Therefore, this would be considered a minimum speed."

The 14-year-old survivor Marley Barclay told investigators she saw "bright headlights" coming at their vehicle, and in their lane. Though per the Chronicle, that may be undermined by the fact that her account said she was not sure whether her own vehicle being driven by the 16-year-old was driving on the wrong side of the road. She immediately lost consciousness when the vehicle hit the tree.

And very notably, the black box in the girls' SUV was not recovered, as it was destroyed in the crash. That black box would have provided accurate information on the vehicle's speed, braking, and possibly on whether there was another oncoming vehicle involved.

CHP Says Speeding Caused April Marin Crash That Killed Four Teens; 16-Year-Old Driver May Face Charges