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Show Teen Dies in High Speed Chase A high speed chase that began three miles south of Panguitch on U.S. Highway 89 Sunday night ended in the death of a Louisiana teenager after he lost control of his vehicle at 115 miles per hour approximately four miles north of Glendale. The victim was identified as James W. Brittian, 19 of Merryville, La. Utah Highway Patrol Trooper" Craig Twitchell said he switched on his red lights as he clocked the 1984 Nissan 300 ZX approaching him at 78 miles per hour traveling southbound at 10:53 p.m. He turned to pursue the vehicle which rapidly picked up speed, passing through the town of hatch, about 12 miles south, at more than 100 miles per hour. Twitchell said his vehicle reached its maximum speed of about 103 miles per hour during the chase, but the speeding sports car pulled steadily ahead in the 34-mile chase. He lost sight of the car briefly and, hitting a rough spot in the road came close to losing control of his own vehicle at the high rate of speed. At that point, he said, he caught sight of the headlights of the sports car -which had crashed after leaving the. road at the same spot. Kane County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Gonzales traveling north who had been contacted by Twitchell arrived on the scene and when the two officers reached the vehicle, the young man was still alive. They were unable to extricate him because the doors were jammed shut. Ambulances arrived from Or- derville and Kanab with extrication equipment within a half-hour, freed the victim and transported him to George R. Aiken Kane County Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Twitchell reported that investigation had indicated that the stolen vehicle had been traveling at an estimated speed of 115 miles per hour when it left the highway, traveling 693 feet before it came' to" rest. Officers estimated that the vehicle was in the air for 89 feet of that distance, landing once on its top, flipping over the East Fork of the Virgin River and over a small hill before coming to rest upright. Following the incident officers learned the vehicle had been reported stolen in Hacienda Hills, Calif. |