UPDATE: The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released the name of the teen killed in Monday’s crash.
Officials say the driver was Zachary Andrew Harris, 18, of South Lake Tahoe. The crash investigation is ongoing and is currently a joint operation between the San Luis Obispo Couty Sheriff-Coroner and California Highway Patrol.
Harris was reportedly a first-year student at Cuesta College.
Mark Sanchez, Cuesta College assistant superintendent/vice president, sent the following statement out to the campus community:
Cuesta College is saddened to learn of the loss of a member of our campus community. Zachary Harris, a first semester student, died as a result of a car crash on Highway 1 on Monday afternoon.
On-campus counseling services and grief support are available for students through the Students Health Center. In addition to normal hours, a therapist or nurse will be onsite during the Studython events on both the SLO and North County campuses to talk with students and offer referrals for support.
Off-campus grief support is offered to all members of the community through Wilshire Grief Support and Hospice SLO County.
We offer our deepest condolences to Zachary’s family, friends, and those who knew him during this difficult time.
UPDATE (4:30 p.m.) – The California Highway Patrol says the person killed in a crash along Highway 1 near Stenner Creek Road Monday afternoon was a male in his late teens.
Officers have identified the young man but are not yet releasing his name.
The CHP says according to witnesses, the driver was headed southbound in the fast lane when he suddenly veered to the right and went off the road, head-on into a large eucalyptus tree.
He was the only person in the vehicle and reportedly died on impact.
As of 4:30 p.m., southbound traffic was backed up to the California Men’s Colony. Northbound traffic was flowing smoothly.
The CHP said it expected to have the southbound slow lane closed for another hour for their investigation.
(3:52 p.m.) – Emergency crews responded to a crash on southbound Highway 1 near Stenner Creek Road just north of Cal Poly on Monday afternoon.
According to CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo, at least one person was killed in the crash.
It happened at about 3 p.m.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the vehicle involved struck a tree.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
