FAMILIES RAISING MONEY TO IMPROVE HWY. 35 SAFETY
Loved ones of three men killed last month working to bring guardrail to crash site
SAN MATEO COUNTY >> Roughly two miles north of Alice’s Restaurant, a trio of white crosses mark the spot where three young men lost their lives Halloween night when their car veered off Skyline Boulevard, hit a large conifer and plummeted 50 feet down an embankment.
The makeshift memorial will likely disappear in time, and when it does, the families of Matthew Cruz, Andrew Gonzales, and Ricky Torres hope to see a guardrail in its place.
The families believe one in that location could prevent a similar tragedy, said Harold Schapelhouman, chief of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and a spokesman for the families.
“The families feel that if the guardrail in that location along Highway 35 would have been in place, the outcome may have been different and their children could still be alive today,” he said.
The idea was first floated by Matthew Cruz’s father, Gary Cruz, and the three families have agreed to work together with the California Department of Transportation and San Mateo County officials to bring it to fruition. As of Friday afternoon, more than $5,300 had been raised for the project through an online fundraiser. The goal is $50,000.
Caltrans District 4 spokesman Jeffrey Weiss said the agency is open to
“The families feel that if the guardrail ... would have been in place, the outcome may have been different and their children could still be alive today.”
— Harold Schapelhouman, chief of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and a spokesman for the families
working with the families.
“Caltrans expresses condolences for the recent passing of three people at this location,” Weiss said in an email. “Caltrans is always ready and willing to meet with local governments and legislators to discuss all means of improving the safety of our highways.”
Gonzales, 18, of Menlo Park, and Torres, 19, of Redwood City, were aspiring firefighters and members of Fire Explorer Post 109, which is affiliated with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. The friends also shared another link to the district through Torres’ father, Rudy Torres, who has served as its master mechanic for 14 years.
Cruz, 18, of Redwood City, spent nearly three years on the teen leadership council of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Activities League and also participated in its mentoring program. His work with deputies and league staff in the North Fair Oaks community in unincorporated Redwood City is credited with improving the lives of youths there.
Schapelhouman said 1,000 people attended funeral services for the men last week at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.
On paper, the section of Skyline Boulevard where the men died does not appear to be particularly dangerous. Just three collisions — two injury and one noninjury — were reported within a quarter-mile of the crash site between August 2010 and July 2015, according to Caltrans data. But the two-lane highway is unlighted, twisty and lined with tall trees.
The 2010 Hyundai the friends were riding southbound in left the roadway where it straightens out after a long left-hand curve and just past the end of an existing guardrail. Ricky Torres was behind the wheel.
An investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing and could take several more weeks to complete, said Officer Art Montiel, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol Redwood City office.
Caltrans also plans to independently explore whether safety improvements are needed at the location, said Weiss, adding that even if the state agency doesn’t come to the conclusion that a guardrail is warranted, the families can still work with local leaders to install one.
“We have an open mind, and we’d like to be of service,” he said.