Four women struck and killed in Malibu crash were Pepperdine students, university says
The day after a crash killed four pedestrians, identified as Pepperdine University students, on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, officials Wednesday lamented the safety concerns that for years have plagued the stretch of highway running through the seaside city.
Shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, a car slammed into three parked vehicles and the four women, who investigators believe were near the parked vehicles when they were struck, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
After speaking with the families, Pepperdine University identified the victims Wednesday evening as Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams. All four were seniors at the Malibu campus. The L.A. County Department of Medical Examiner is conducting death investigations for all four women.
University officials said in an earlier statement that the school believed the four victims were students at the Seaver College of Liberal Arts. The university is about four miles from where the crash occurred in the 21600 block of Pacific Coast Highway.
A prayer service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday for Pepperdine community members, with those unable to attend in person invited to join via Zoom. Memorials for all four victims are also being planned, officials said.
One of the world’s most scenic and celebrated ribbons of asphalt, Pacific Coast Highway has served as mood-setting backdrop to films and TV shows and inspired lyrics by artists of such diverse sensibilities as the Beach Boys, Jaden Smith and Hole.
Fraser Michael Bohm, 22, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, said sheriff’s Sgt. Maria Navarro, watch commander at the Malibu/Lost Hills station. Bohm suffered minor injuries in the crash and received medical attention before being booked into jail.
The crash remains under investigation, but Navarro said alcohol was not believed to have been a factor after deputies conducted a field sobriety test. She would not say whether speeding was suspected, but a statement from the city of Malibu on Wednesday cited a “speeding motorist” as the cause of the deadly crash.
The 21-mile stretch of PCH that runs through Malibu is an ongoing concern, with speed being the leading cause of fatal traffic collisions, Capt. Jennifer Seetoo of the Malibu-Lost Hills station said at a press conference Wednesday.
“We need to do something different,” Seetoo said. “We’ve got to work together as a community. There’s too many people on this stretch of the highway that have been killed.”
Two brothers and their mother pleaded guilty to “conspiring to transport stolen catalytic converters from California to New Jersey in return for over $38 million.”
Mayor Steve Uring said he would like to see more state support on the issue, especially a return of the California Highway Patrol, which doesn’t patrol the incorporated stretch of PCH in Malibu. He is also hopeful Malibu will eventually be able to take advantage of the state’s new pilot program for speed cameras.
“We’ve got this major highway running through the center of our city — it’s a racetrack; it has been for years,” Uhring said. “We need some help.”
Malibu Mayor Pro Tem Doug Stewart agreed, calling Tuesday’s crash the latest tragedy along what has become a dangerous section of the highway.
“These four deaths are just tragic,” Stewart said. “Your hearts just go out to the parents.”
The morning after the car crash, I was in a horrific stupor, a waking nightmare more agonizing than anything I could have ever previously imagined.
He called for more patrol deputies on the road — which he said has been a staffing issue for the Sheriff’s Department — as well as more technology to improve safety. This summer, Malibu began construction on a new traffic light synchronization project, which leaders called the city’s “most significant measure to date to improve traffic safety and mobility on PCH.”
“Speed is not our friend,” Stewart said. “We’ve got speed limits and some traffic enforcement, but we need more.”
According to the city, Malibu has had more than 4,000 traffic collisions on its 21-mile stretch of PCH in the last decade — including more than 1,500 that involved injuries. In the same time period, excessive speed was the most common violation given on more than 100,000 traffic citations, according to the city.
University President and Chief Executive Jim Gash said that “in the days ahead, we will come together in meaningful ways to honor and celebrate the lives of the remarkable individuals lost to this unthinkable tragedy.”
“As we walk this path together, I pray we gain strength and comfort from one another,” Gash said in a statement. “In the embrace of our community, we also pray for the fortitude to navigate this painful journey knowing that we are not alone.”
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