Teen pleads not guilty in fatal crash

The allegedly intoxicated South San Francisco teen whose 17-year-old passenger died after his car crossed traffic and set off a multi-car crash near Brisbane Feb. 5 pleaded not guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving charges.

Sean Danniel Quintero, 18, was not expected to enter a plea until Friday but came into court early to replace his court-appointed attorney with a private lawyer. At the same time, Quintero pleaded not guilty to all charges and set a March 24 preliminary hearing date. That hearing is estimated to last two hours.

Meanwhile, Quintero remains in custody without bail after a judge denied a defense request to release him on his own recognizance.

Quintero is charged in the death of Margaret Qaqish, a high school senior who would have turned 18 the following week. He faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted.

On Feb. 5, Qaqish was in a car belonging to Quintero’s mother, sitting in the middle of the rear seat, as they and two other teens drove back to South San Francisco after a night of reported heavy drinking in Daly City and San Francisco. At approximately 3:30 a.m., as the group loudly discussed what radio station should play, Quintero drove at roughly 60 mph toward cars stopped for an unrelated accident. Unable to stop in time, Quintero reportedly veered to the right, crossing over two lanes of traffic and rear-ended a car that hit into a third before stopping. No one was injured in those two vehicles but inside Quintero’s car two of the passengers had minor injuries like bruising and chest pain.

Qaqish was thrown forward by the impact and knocked unconscious. Authorities have not said whether she was wearing a seat belt. She died at the hospital.

The California Highway Patrol reported finding an open alcohol container in the car and Quintero’s blood alcohol level 90 minutes later tested .15 and .16.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.