An Arizona teen is facing charges after allegedly plowing her Chevrolet Corvette supercar into a married father-of-two after speeding at over 155mph.
Eighteen-year-old Rachel Berg is accused of striking park ranger Michael Clark, 46, on March 12 as he rode his Harley Davidson motorbike along US 60 in Mesa, Arizona.
Berg was arrested Monday after the airbag computer system on her 2024 Corvette - which cost between $70,000 and $140,000 - found she had been driving at 155mph seconds slamming the brakes and careening into Clark.
She struck him at 87mph, police say, then attempted CPR - but Clark, a former Tacoma cop, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Clark's heartbroken widow Laura paid a touching tribute to the former cop after his sudden death, telling AZ Family: 'He loved being a father. He loved being a father to his kids and he was an amazing husband.'
Rachel Berg, 18, is charged with reckless manslaughter after allegedly plowing her 2024 Chevrolet Corvette into a father-of-two while speeding at 155mph
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 kids and he was an amazing husband'
Berg's Corvette (left) allegedly plowed into Clark's Harley Davidson (right) on US 60 at around 10:30pm, after she slammed on the brakes but couldn't avoid impact
It is unclear who bought Berg the sports car she was driving. She and her family live in this $616,000 home in Tempe
On the night of the crash, Arizona authorities said Berg rear-ended Clark's motorcycle on the highway after reaching the breakneck speed, before slamming on the breaks to 87mph right before impact.
She reportedly told troopers at the scene that she tried to avoid the motorcycle but couldn't slow down in time.
It is unclear who bought Berg the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette supercar. Her family lives in a modest four bed, two bath, $616,000 home in Tempe.
Troopers said Clark was thrown into a concrete wall from 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.
'He should’ve been home at 10:45 and I got out of bed at 11:15 and he wasn’t, and I could hear the police helicopter. And I knew, I knew. I called him. He didn’t answer. I texted him, but he didn’t read it,' she said.
Clark had served in the Tacoma, Washington Police Department for 14 years, but had left the force in 2020 to travel with his wife in an RV 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 he served the community of Tacoma. He was serving Tempe,' Laura said.
'He never met a stranger and he was so warm and welcoming. And our house was always the house for holidays. He loved to cook for people. He loved being a father. He loved being a father to his kids and he was an amazing husband.'
Tributes poured in for the father-of-two, as his wife said he was 'never a stranger to anyone'
Clark had served in the Tempe, Washington Police Department for 14 years
Laura Clark scathed Berg's alleged actions that took her husband, saying: 'I think that young people sometimes think that they’re invincible. And don’t think their decisions through and it’s devastating. Families are torn apart'
Cops said Clark was thrown from his Harley Davidson (seen left from his Facebook, right at the crash) and he was pronounced dead at the scene
Berg was arrested Monday in connection with the crash, and is now facing charges of reckless manslaughter.
The stricken widow said her alleged actions have devastated her family.
'I think that young people sometimes think that they’re invincible. And don’t think their decisions through and it’s devastating. Families are torn apart,' Laura said.
'He has kids that now don’t have a dad.
'The devastation is real and I don’t know how we will ever recover from it. I don’t know how we ever put one foot in front of the other again.'
AZ Family said they also spoke with Berg's family after her arrest, who said that the crash has also been very tough on her and her family.