Ernest Righetti High School in Santa Maria is usually busy with the everyday hustle and bustle of its students. But the mood on Feb. 2 was particularly somber. That morning, the school learned that one of its students died in a Santa Maria car wreck over the weekend.
Righetti senior Breanna Rodriguez, 17, was the driver of a car that crashed at the intersection of East Donovan Road and Suey Crossing on the night of Jan. 30. According to the Santa Maria Police Department, two vehicles were allegedlly racing with each other when one of the vehicles blew a stop sign, lost control, and slammed into a light pole, trapping two occupants, including Rodriguez. Police and fire fighters rushed to the scene and used the “Jaws of Life” hydraulic rescue tool to pull the two occupants out of the vehicle.
Rodriguez was flown to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara by helicopter, where she later succumbed to her injuries. According to a statement from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, two other students were injured in the accident and transported to a local hospital: one was treated and released over the weekend, and the other student was expected to be released early in the week. The driver of the other vehicle, a 17-year-old male, allegedly fled the scene and was arrested the next day by officers from the SMPD. Authorities aren’t identifying him because he is under the age of 18.
Even though the vehicles didn’t collide during the race, the driver of the other vehicle was obligated by law to remain at the scene of the accident. He was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter, police said.
Police alleged excessive speeds and failure to yield to a stop sign significantly contributed to the crash. Police are still investigating whether drugs or alcohol played a factor in the accident.
News of Rodriguez’s death was a heavy blow to students and faculty at Righetti.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy,” Superintendent Mark Richardson said in the district’s statement.
Rodriguez was set to graduate this spring. Eric Blanco, Rodriguez’s academic counselor, said he worked with her personally over the years she spent at the school and remembers her as a highly motivated student.
“The Righetti community is taking it hard,” Blanco said on Feb. 2. “She was extremely motivated and really caring. She was eager to prepare herself.”
Blanco mentioned that Rodriguez had applied to several universities and received some acceptances, although he did not know from which ones. He said that even students who didn’t know her seemed to be affected by her death.
Known as “Bree the G,” Rodriguez had an affinity for Rastarfarian culture. By the afternoon of Feb. 2, students had put up green, red, and yellow colored balloons—Rastafarian colors—and decorated the senior table in the school’s quad to honor her memory.
There will be a memorial service held for Rodriguez at the high school on Feb. 6.
This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2015.