On September 17, five students from Novato High School were involved in a deadly suspected drunk driving car crash before the school’s lunch break.

The driver came to a curve, lost control of the car, and fishtailed into a truck driver’s rig. The accident killed a junior in the car and led to the hospitalization of the other four students. One student was on life support at one point and the driver suffered a broken collar bone and pelvis.

Upon examining the crash site, police found beer bottles and a smashed bottle of Sky Vodka in and around the car.

Along with the passengers, the driver had been drinking and was above the adult limit of .08 percent. The driver did not have a license and was arrested with the suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence, and driving without a license.

Vanessa Zacarias, a Terra Linda High School student and friend of the driver, shared her thoughts on drunk driving. “I think they shouldn’t be doing this because they get nothing out of it but problems,” she said.

Because of his actions, the driver was tried in court in September and found guilty of manslaughter and driving under the influence. He was then transferred from Marin General Hospital to juvenile hall.

Zacarias said, “They want to make an example of him. They want others to see the consequences for these actions.”