An Arizona teenager faces charges after allegedly crashing her Chevrolet Corvette supercar into a married father of two after speeding more than 155 mph.
Eighteen-year-old Rachel Berg is accused of hitting Ranger Michael Clark, 46, on March 12 while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle on US 60 in Mesa, Arizona.
Berg was arrested Monday after the airbag computer system in her 2024 Corvette, which cost between $70,000 and $140,000, discovered that she had been driving 155 mph for seconds, slammed on the brakes and crashed into Clark.
She hit him at 87 mph, police say, then attempted to give him CPR, but Clark, a former Tacoma police officer, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Clark’s heartbroken widow Laura paid a moving tribute to the former police officer after his sudden death, telling him AZ Family: ‘He loved being a father. He loved being a father to his children and he was a fantastic husband.”
Rachel Berg, 18, is charged with reckless homicide after allegedly crashing her 2024 Chevrolet Corvette into a father of two while driving 155 mph.
Michael Clark, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene after the fatal collision on March 12. His wife Laura (pictured together) said: “He loved being a father. He loved being a father to his children and he was an incredible husband.
Berg’s Corvette (left) allegedly collided with Clark’s (right) Harley Davidson on US 60 around 10:30 p.m., after she hit the brakes but was unable to avoid the impact.
It is unclear who bought Berg the sports car he was driving. She and her family live in this $616,000 home in Tempe.
The night of the crash, Arizona authorities said Berg rear-ended Clark’s motorcycle on the highway after reaching breakneck speed, before slamming on his brakes at 87 mph just before impact.
He reportedly told police officers at the scene that he tried to avoid the motorcycle but was unable to slow down in time.
It’s unclear who bought Berg’s 2024 Chevrolet Corvette supercar. His family lives in a modest four-bedroom, two-bathroom, $616,000 home in Tempe.
Troopers said Clark was thrown against a concrete wall due to the collision, and Berg attempted to perform CPR on him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Laura Clark said she knew something was wrong when her husband of nine years didn’t return home on time.
‘I should have been home at 10:45 and I got up at 11:15 and he wasn’t there, and I could hear the police helicopter. And I knew it, I knew it. I called him. He did not answer. “I sent him a text message, but he didn’t read it,” he said.
Clark had served with the Tacoma, Washington, Police Department for 14 years, but left the force in 2020 to travel with his wife in a motor home they bought together.
They eventually settled in Mesa, Arizona, where Michael began working as a Tempe park ranger.
‘He was a man of service. He served his country and served the Tacoma community. He was serving Tempe,” Laura said.
‘He never met a stranger and was very warm and welcoming. And our house was always the vacation home. He loved to cook for people. He loved being a father. He loved being a father to his children and was a fantastic husband.”
Tributes poured in for the father-of-two as his wife said he was “never a stranger to anyone”.
Clark had worked with the Tempe, Washington Police Department for 14 years.
Laura Clark criticized Berg’s alleged actions against her husband, saying, “I think young people sometimes think they’re invincible.” And not thinking about her decisions is devastating. Families are destroyed’
Troopers said Clark was thrown from his Harley Davidson (seen to the left of his Facebook, right at the crash) and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Berg was arrested Monday in connection with the crash and now faces reckless homicide charges.
The affected widow said his alleged actions have devastated her family.
‘I think young people sometimes think they are invincible. And not thinking about your decisions is devastating. Families are devastated,” Laura said.
‘He has children who now have no father.
‘The devastation is real and I don’t know how we will ever recover from it. I don’t know how we put one foot in front of the other again.
AZ Family said they also spoke to Berg’s family after her arrest, who said the accident had also been very hard on her and her family.