A Novato teen was arrested for suspicion of felony DUI after a car crash Friday that left his 15-year-old passenger dead, the California Highway Patrol said.
The 16-year-old suspect was driving four passengers west on Novato Boulevard, west of San Marin Drive, just before noon Friday when he lost control of his 1990 BMW while going around a curve, the CHP said. The boy was apparently speeding.
His car rotated about 180 degrees and crossed a yellow line before stopping directly in the path of a tractor-trailer hauling cattle, the CHP said. The right front of the big rig, a 2005 Kenworth truck, hit the back right side of the BMW, which pushed the BMW into an adjacent field. The car stopped south of Novato Boulevard, facing east.
The 15-year-old passenger, Isaac Brott, was declared dead at the scene, the Novato Fire District said.
Isaac was a junior at Novato High and played on the junior varsity baseball team last season. He was also a teacher's assistant in the school's main office, Bay City news reported. All Homecoming Week activities scheduled for this week have been postponed.
Grief counselors were planning to be at the school Monday to help students cope with the tragedy. Students over the weekend used chalk to write the letters "IB" on the athletic fields in a tribute to Isaac.
Two 17-year-old passengers were ejected from the BMW and landed near the car in the field. They were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where one was treated for a concussion and amnesia while the other was treated for critical injuries, the CHP said.
The 16-year-old driver and a third 17-year-old passenger were taken to Marin General Hospital. The driver suffered cervical and pelvic fractures, and the 17-year-old suffered a concussion.
The big-rig driver, 36-year-old Ken Smith of Mountain Home, Idaho, located 40 miles southeast of Boise, was not injured, the CHP said.
The driver was arrested at about 3:15 p.m. at Marin General Hospital for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI and driving without a California Driver License, the CHP said.
