UC Berkeley student Kevin Lacanlale died early Thursday morning in a traffic collision on Highway 13 in Oakland. He was 19.
He died at 4:46 a.m. Thursday morning after another vehicle crashed into his 1996 Toyota Camry, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Vigil. Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau said the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Lacanlale was driving the Camry — which was carrying three other passengers — when it struck a fallen tree on the highway around 4:15 a.m. just south of the Park Boulevard off ramp, according to Vigil. The three passengers left the car to stand on the right shoulder of the highway while Lacanlale remained standing in the traffic lane, according to Vigil.
Shortly after, a Ford F-150 pickup truck driving southbound on the highway also ran into the tree, causing the Ford to become airborne and hit the Camry, which then hit Lacanlale, according to Vigil.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the impact of the crash knocked part of the tree up the embankment, trapping a woman who was also a passenger of the Toyota. The San Francisco Chronicle said Oakland firefighters used chainsaws to extricate her.
The 59-year-old man who was driving the Ford, the woman and the two other passengers who had been in the Toyota suffered injures and were transported to a hospital, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. None of their injuries were life-threatening.
Lacanlale graduated in 2011 from Central Kitsap High School near Bremerton, Washington. He received a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship Award in 2011 and planned on pursuing a career in medicine. He lived in Bowles Hall at UC Berkeley.
“He was a fellow Gates Scholar here at Berkeley whom I had the pleasure of meeting a few times … he was part of a family of Gates Scholars who is currently now mourning this tragic loss,” said Matthew Aber, a UC Berkeley freshman.
The highway was closed for several hours following the accident but reopened at 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
“It is truly a tragedy that a guy like (Lacanlale), who had everything going for him from an exceptional intellect to gifted athletic ability to one of the kindest personalities I have ever encountered, would have to leave this world so soon,” said Mitchell Flaherty, a childhood friend of Lacanlale’s, on his Facebook page. “Rest in peace.”
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No words can describe how upset I am, and especially that I had to find out about a friend’s death through Daily Cal… “what do they mean, Kevin died…? That can’t possibly be the Kevin Lacanlale I know…?”
Alas.
No words. You were a good man, Kevin, even though it was limited to the rhetoric class we took together in the first semester. Rest in peace. You will be missed.
Your Gate scholars really miss you.
They were running for their lives NOT STANDING IN THE TRAFFIC LANE. The story is wrong. They only had a few seconds before the second car hit, not enough time to reach in the back and get reflectors. Praying for Kevin’s family to deal with such a tragic loss.
Even though I’m a fellow freshman, I have never met him. My heart goes out to him and his family and friends.
Kevin wasn’t the driver, he was a passenger
My prayers go out from UCLA, may he rest in peace.
My prayers go out from UCLA, may he rest in peace.
Such a sad day for the UC Berkeley community, we lost a young Golden Bear :(
My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Officer Vigil? This is a very sad story. Sorry for the loss of this young man’s life.
Terrible tragedy. Remember, never stand in the traffic lanes! Keep a reflective orange triangle in your car to place into the traffic lanes. Keep an reflective safety vest in your car in case you have to get out at night. Both of these items are required by law when driving in Europe. They are still a good idea in the USA.