3 Hollister High students killed in car crash, school district says

3 high school students killed in crash

Three seniors from Hollister High School were killed, and a former student was critically injured in a car crash, the San Benito High School District said Wednesday.

GILROY, Calif. - Three seniors from Hollister High School were killed, and a former student was critically injured in a car crash, the San Benito High School District said Wednesday, creating a devastating loss for their families and classmates.

The San Benito County Coroner identified the three as 17-year-old Anzhel Villegas-Lemus, who was driving; Victor Lujan, 17, and Brandon Alarcon, 18, all from Hollister.

"You know, we're a very close-knit community," Supt. Shawn Tennenbaum said. "Many of our community members went to school here. We have generational families that went to school here, and we all consider them part of our family. So the news last night was very hard to stomach."

Brandon Alarcon, 18, was identified by his father as one of the students killed in the crash.

What we know:

The crash was reported on Tuesday just before 7 p.m. when the driver traveling west on Shore Road west of Lake Road just outside of Hollister lost control of the vehicle, and it crossed into opposing traffic and struck a car going east on Shore Road, California Highway Patrol officer Alfredo Uribe said.

The CHP reported that not only did the three students die and their friend suffer injuries, but the driver of the other car also was injured and taken by helicopter to a local hospital.

"Regrettably, this happens way too often in our society," said Capt. Noel Coady, the commanding officer of the CHP Hollister-Gilroy office. "At this point we have not been able to rule out anything, drugs, alcohol, speed as factors in this crash. Again, our investigation has literally just begun.

Romana Costa lives a few dozen yards from the crash site.

"We heard a little bit of the sound, you know?" she said. "And then the traffic, all of a sudden it stopped."

What they're saying:

When Hollister High School Principal Kevin Medeiros Mederois came to school on Wednesday, he said he felt the weight of the tragedy.

"You can feel the sadness," he said, "but also at the same time, you feel that sense of community that we have everyone coming together in this really sad time and really working to support everyone in need."

Medeiros said losing three students, ones that he loves as his own, is something that is hitting him very hard.

"They're a part of this family," he said. "And knowing they're young kids and had so much life ahead of them, it's definitely something that's heartbreaking."

Clarissa Ortiz, a Hollister High School senior, said she was shocked.

"When I learned who I was, it was really a surreal moment," she said. "Because I've seen those people around school, had classes with them. And just to know that they're not here anymore, it's a very sad story."

The school district said that counselors and mental health clinicians will be available through the end of the week to provide support to students, teachers and staff.

The district officials said in times like these, the community should come together to support one another.

Big picture view:

This is the second Bay Area crash to have killed three young people at once in roughly two months.

About 100 miles north, three college sophomores, all graduates of Piedmont High School, died on the day after Thanksgiving when the Cybertruck they were in slammed into a tree and retaining wall. A fourth student was able to escape and was taken to the hospital.