The Southern California region where five local teenagers were killed in a suspected DUI crash last week has a dark history with alcohol.
Officials in the Santa Maria Valley noted that alcoholism among both adults and teens is a “major theme” in the area.
The rural area is dominated by agriculture, and teens are often left to their own devices by their blue-collar parents, one advocate said.
Edwin Weaver, the president of Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, told the Los Angeles Times that his organization conducted a DUI awareness workshop at a local high school only days before the crash.
He’s frustrated that his message didn’t reach the five teens, or a sixth victim critically injured in the crash.
“We personally knew several of the children in the car, so it hits very close to home,” he told the Times. “I couldn’t believe that somehow the message we have been trying to drive into these young people didn’t stick.”
At a memorial for the teens, several liquor bottles stood alongside flowers and other items paying tribute to the victims.
“We are mourning the loss of these five lives, but how can we do it in a respectful way where we are not glorifying alcohol use?” Weaver said.
The victims were identified by the Santa Maria Police Department as Nicolas Munoz-Gautreaux, 17; Jennifer Gutierrez, 19; Guendi Beatrice Gamez Escalante, 16; ‘Ava’ Yusbeli Diaz Galvez, 17; and Isabella Star Vigil, 16.
Ava survived the initial crash, but succumbed to her injuries after about an hour in the hospital.
A sixth victim, 24-year-old Aurelio Calixtro Matia, is the lone survivor of the crash and was last known to be in critical condition in the hospital.
Four of the victims were current or former students in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
The deadly collision unfolded early Sunday in Santa Maria when a vehicle traveling at high speed slammed into a traffic pole at the intersection of South Broadway and Miller Street.
Authorities said the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, though evidence recovered at the scene points to alcohol being involved.
Weaver’s group is trying to minimize teen alcohol use by banning brightly colored, sugary beverages such as Four Loko that contain as much alcohol as four to five beers. These “alcopop”-style drinks are popular among youth and can lead to rapid and dangerous levels of intoxication, he said.
The crash occurred as younger Gen Z adults show less interest in alcohol than previous generations, according to a survey.