Two teen-agers were injured Sunday afternoon when their station wagon hit a tree on State Route 89 south of the Pope Beach entrance.
The driver, Ryan McCombs, an 18-year-old from Carlsbad, Calif., distracted by commotion caused by the three dogs in his 1987 Subaru wagon, lost control of his car going north and hit tree about 4 feet from the road, said California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Lewis.
The passenger in the car, a 17-year-old female from South Lake Tahoe, was care-flighted from Barton Memorial to Washoe Medical Center with serious head injuries.
McCombs was admitted to Barton Memorial with face lacerations.
The northbound lane was shut down because of the wreck, making traffic one-way for about an hour, Lewis said.
The Subaru was totaled, and by 5:15 p.m. the CHP had found two of the dogs involved in the wreck, both in good health.