SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A senior from Christian Brothers High School in Oak Park was killed Tuesday after she and her sister were struck by an alleged drunken driver as they walked near the campus.

The crash happened about 4 p.m. near the intersection of 19th Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Witnesses said a white Ford Explorer that may have been traveling as fast as 70 mph hit Sharmelia Jeffries, 17, and her 15-year-old sister Ebony. Sharmelia was thrown 60 feet into the air and later died from her injuries. Ebony escaped with only minor injuries.

"I heard the impact ... it sounded like a car hitting another car ... and then like a roll, a thump, thump, thump ... about three or four times," nearby resident Tom Reeves said.

The Explorer then smashed through a power pole and traveled another four blocks before coming to a stop. The driver then got out of the vehicle and started walking.

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"He showed outwardly signs of being intoxicated. It was very obvious at the time that he was under the influence of something ... and he was walking along the sidewalk ... it appeared he was trying to get away," Sacramento Police Department Sgt. Justin Risley said.

Officers arrested 50-year-old Kenneth Bartholomew, and said his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

Meanwhile, grief counselors will be on hand at Christian Brothers Wednesday to help students deal with the loss.

"We're going to be spending the better part of the day, I think, dealing with counselors and students and kids who are grieving and kids who are upset," Christian Brothers President Mark Warren said.

School officials also said that a prayer service was planned for Wednesday.

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