A teen driver that caused an accident that killed two people after she ran a red light earlier this year was sentenced to probation last week.

The 17-year-old Simi Valley girl, whose name has not been released because she is a minor, was arraigned last Friday; she pleaded guilty to two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter.

According to Senior Dep. District Attorney Pam Grossman, the teen was placed on formal probation, which could last until she is 21, and she will be required to complete 500 hours of community service.

Her license was also suspended for three years.

“This was a horrific tragedy for all parties involved, including the minor,” Grossman said in an e-mail to the Acorn.

The father of the teen driver declined comment, saying only, “It’s a horrible situation.”

The collision occurred on the evening of March 17 at the intersection of Royal Avenue and Sinaloa Road. According to police, the girl’s Lincoln Navigator ran a red light and slammed into a small sedan carrying Simi Valley residents Jessica Zarate, 24, and Oliver Stokes, 22.

Zarate, the driver of the sedan, was pronounced dead at the scene. Stokes, her good friend, died later at Simi Valley Hospital. The two were on their way to class at Moorpark College.

The driver of the SUV was not injured.

At the completion of his investigation into the collision, Simi Police officer Vernon Trujillo told the Acorn that while it was clear the driver was not paying attention to her driving, he was unable to determine definitely what distracted the teen and caused her to run the red light.

Trujillo was able to rule out the possibility that the teen was talking on the phone or sending or receiving a text message. However, the officer said he could not tell by looking at the phone records if she was in the process of typing a text message.

Brian Rafelson, supervising attorney for the Ventura County district attorney’s juvenile unit, said that if the teen breaks her probation, she could face up to seven years and four months in custody.

The families of the victims told the Acorn they were not ready to comment at this time.

Lt. Joe May, spokesperson for the police department, said he couldn’t speak to whether the punishment fit the crime but he did offer these words of caution.

“Events like this should be a lesson to all of us, that we need to remain ever vigilant in our driving because in a split second everything can change,” he said. “When (the teen driver) left home that day, there was no thought or intent to take two people’s lives, but by the end of that day that had happened. That should be a warning to all of us. We have to pay attention when we are driving.”