A Placerville-area teenager, who was described as an avid competitive skier with ties to the Sierra-at-Tahoe team and an extraordinary love for the sport, was killed in a single-car crash Saturday night on Lake Tahoe Boulevard east of Sawmill Road.

Greg Smith, 16, was ejected from the right rear side of a 2002 Jeep Liberty when the westbound vehicle apparently caught the edge of the road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle flipped at least three times and ended up in the eastbound lane, the California Highway Patrol reported Sunday.

CHP Tahoe spokesman Jeff Gartner added that the teenager and another passenger in the group of five 16-year-old occupants were not wearing seatbelts. Of the 4,200 fatals reported on California roadways, about half are estimated to have resulted from the passenger not wearing a seatbelt.

Another passenger, Emily Alessi, 16, was taken via Care Flight helicopter to Renown (formerly known as Washoe) Medical Center in Reno for a head injury.

She was treated for a concussion and brought home, where she was recovering.

"She's in shock. We just told her about Greg this morning," her mother, Susan Alessi, said Sunday. "I'm so thankful (she's alive), but I can't tell you how sorry we are for Greg and his family."

The authorities are investigating the mishap.

"We're pretty sure alcohol was not a factor, but we haven't eliminated any other substances," Gartner said of the call, which came in at 10:52 p.m.

An autopsy of Smith will be conducted this week.

Parents on the scene believe the incident is the result of a freak accident. The teenagers in the car, along with others following in another vehicle, are very active, athletic and found a longtime friendship skiing and boarding on Sierra-at-Tahoe slopes. Smith, who was sponsored by One Reality Custom Skis and Snowboards and Tyrolia, was ranked eighth on the freestyle team last February. His father, Steve Smith, works for Sierra-at-Tahoe and, according to friends, was extremely involved in the youth's passion for skiing.

Seven of the teenagers in the caravan attend South Tahoe High School, which will offer grief counselors this morning for those who need it.

Some of the teens spent Saturday at Boreal for its opening week. They were headed to a friend's house after a trip to Taco Bell at the "Y," according to witness accounts.

Another passenger in the vehicle, Jason Arens, 16, sat stunned on his sofa Sunday morning with another buddy, Ryan Martin, as they recalled the event, which took the life of the good friend they've known for three years.

"I looked down, and the car was going kind of squirrelly," said Arens, who was in the vehicle that crashed. He couldn't recall how many times the vehicle flipped over after the driver overcorrected.

"I thought: 'This can't be happening,'" he said, noting he felt lucky to be alive. "It makes you appreciate everything."

Immediately after, the young Arens had called his father, Perrie, on a cellular phone.

"He said: 'Dad, I need you.' See, these cell phones are a blessing," the father said.

Retired El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy Warren Berg also rushed to the scene as the father of competitive local skier Cassidy, 16, who missed several hours of sleep from the traumatic incident, Berg said.

"I've been an officer for 23 years. I haven't seen an accident this bad in a long time," he said.

The driver received a license last July. According to state law, the license provision prohibits transporting anyone younger than 20 years old without guardian supervision, the CHP pointed out.

Martin was traveling in a trailing vehicle that came up to the scene a minute later.

"It was weird. I just saw a bunch of dust in the air," he said.

Martin said he's having a difficult time believing his friend is gone.

"We were just on the lift talking about what we're going to do for the year on the team. (Sierra) was his home (resort)," Martin said of his friend he characterized as "always positive, enthusiastic and full of life." He added: "He had goals."

Smith had just made the Sierra-at-Tahoe sponsorship team.

Pete VanArnum of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office agreed with Berg that an incident of this type shakes up a community.

"It's sad when someone this young dies so tragically," he said.

The family is understandably shaken.

Between the tears, Steve Smith's companion, Jan Koenen, gathered and issued the family thoughts for concerned citizens in the community.

"Greg Smith lived for his family and for skiing the mountains he loved so much. More than anyplace else, he loved skiing at Sierra-at-Tahoe and 'the Patch' (near Red Lake). Greg had spent a wonderful day skiing the rails at Boreal with his brother, Geoff (another avid skier), and many good friends. Greg was an incredibly sweet and kind young man who lived every day of his life with joy and passion for his sport," she said. "He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him on the mountain, as well as by every person whose life he touched."