Latest news with #PiedmontHighSchool
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Mothers push for deceased students to be honored at Union County graduations
Two mothers are calling for children to be acknowledged during graduation ceremonies in Union County despite their physical absence. They say hearing their child's name called from the stage could begin a sense of healing. Selina Austin and Leslie Stanfield both had students who were a part of the Class of 2025 for Union County Public Schools. ALSO READ: 'So vague': Parents demand change at Union County school after threatening incidents Selina Austin's daughter Gabriela was a student at Piedmont High School. However, four months before graduation, Gabriela died in a crash after suffering from a seizure. Monday night, Selina Austin attended what would have been Gabriela's graduation. She said she asked for an empty seat for her daughter's gown with a photo and for Gabriela's name to be called. 'She worked very hard for three and a half years to earn everything that she earned, and then for it not to be recognized,' said Selina Austin. However, she said she did not receive that. Leslie Stanfield said she asked the district for something similar for her son, Christopher Stanfield, who died in a crash. But she only received a yearbook and tickets to what would have been her son's graduation, set for Wednesday morning. 'It hurts because, you know, one of the things he was looking so forward to was graduating from Porter Ridge,' Leslie Stanfield expressed. The district said it's against protocol to say the names of students who have passed away during the diploma distribution. This is something both moms hope will change. 'I think it should be up to the family,' said Selina Austin. 'I just feel like saying his name lets us know that he was here, that he was significant, that he meant something,' said Leslie Stanfield. Over the summer, the district said it will be reviewing the death protocols to evaluate guidelines and processes for memorials. VIDEO: 'So vague': Parents demand change at Union County school after threatening incidents
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Piedmont Cybertruck crash victim's family demands answers
(KRON) — The family of Krysta Michelle Tsukahara, a 19-year-old college student who was killed in a Tesla Cybertruck crash in Piedmont, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Alameda County court. Four college students were trapped inside the Cybertruck after it crashed and burst into flames at 3 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2024. Soren Dixon, 19, Jack Nelson, 20, and Krysta Tsukahara, 19, died from smoke inhalation and severe burns, according to an autopsy report by the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau. The lawsuit seeks to uncover more about what led to the deadly collision and to gain access to the Cybertruck. The mangled vehicle has remained unavailable to the family's legal team since the crash occurred, attorneys said. 'Krysta was a beautiful, bright young woman with her whole life ahead of her,' her father, Carl Tsukahara, wrote in a statement released by attorneys. 'We've had to endure not only the loss of our daughter, and our son the loss of his sister, but we have had to suffer through the silence of those who were with her that night. Our family is seeking additional information regarding all aspects of this tragedy.' Krysta Tsukahara, Nelson, and Dixon were recent graduates of Piedmont High School who were home for Thanksgiving break at the time of the tragedy. California Highway Patrol investigators released a preliminary report stating that Dixon was driving when the Cybertruck crashed. The CHP report states that a combination of alcohol intoxication, drug impairment, and unsafe speeds caused Dixon to lose control. Dixon's estate is named as a defendant in the new lawsuit. Charles Patterson, who reportedly owned the Cybertruck, is also named as a defendant. Krysta Tsukahara was a backseat passenger in the Cybertruck. She was not seriously injured in the impact, but she was trapped inside the vehicle as it burned, attorneys said. 'This young woman suffered the most horrifying death one could imagine. Her death was caused by her inability to get out of the car and being consumed in the fire that engulfed the vehicle,' said attorney Roger Dreyer of Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora. 'The family still doesn't know what the course of events were that evening that led to this crash and why this vehicle caught fire. The family wants and deserves answers to those questions.' Krysta Tsukahara, a sophomore at Savannah College of Art and Design, had only trace amounts of alcohol in her system when the crash occurred, attorneys said. Dixon had cocaine in his system and a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.195, according to a coroner's report. 'Our clients don't want to speculate as to who is to blame,' Dreyer said. 'They want answers and additional information in order to see who is accountable for this tragedy and who played a role in their daughter's death.' A fourth college student who was a passenger, 20-year-old Jordan Miller, was the sole survivor. A witness was able to break window using a tree branch and pull him out of the burning Cybertruck. The witness told CHP investigators, 'I went back to the broken window and yelled for them to try and get out at this window. Krysta tried to come up, sticking her head from the back. I grabbed her arm to try and pull her towards me but she retreated because of the fire.' Police officers and firefighters attempted to vain to extinguish the flames before Krysta Tsukahara, Nelson, and Dixon died. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Parents of woman killed in Piedmont crash sue driver's family seeking access to Cybertruck
The parents of a 19-year-old college student who died in a fiery Cybertruck crash in Piedmont last year filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Cybertruck driver's family and the vehicle's registered owner. On Wednesday, Carl and Noelle Tsukahara filed the lawsuit against the estate of Soren Dixon, 19, who was driving the Tesla Cybertruck and died in the Nov. 27 crash, and Charles Patterson, the owner of the vehicle. The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court. The vehicle apparently belonged to Dixon's grandparents, KTVU reported. Krysta Tsukahara was one of four college students in the Cybertruck that veered off the road, rammed a retaining wall and got wedged between the wall and a tree before bursting into flames. The crash killed Krysta, Dixon and Jack Nelson, 20. The fourth occupant, Jordan Miller, 20, survived the crash. They were all graduates of Piedmont High School and were home for Thanksgiving break when the crash occurred. In a news release, Krysta's parents said they seek to 'uncover what led to the deadly collision and to gain access to the Cybertruck itself.' The family's legal team and experts claim to have not had access to the truck since the crash, the parents said. Dixon's parents did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Phone calls to Charles Patterson went unanswered Wednesday afternoon. Roger Dreyer, the family's attorney, said the autopsy report did not indicate that Krysta died from physical injuries but 'by her inability to get out of the car and being consumed in the fire.' She was sitting in the rear passenger seat of the car, he said. 'This young woman suffered the most horrifying death one could imagine,' Dreyer said in a statement. 'The family still doesn't know what the course of events were that evening that led to this crash and why this vehicle caught fire. The family wants and deserves answers to those questions.' The three victims who died had alcohol and cocaine in their systems, according to Alameda County toxicology reports. Their deaths were ruled an accident. The autopsy report listed the cause as asphyxia due to inhalation of smoke from the vehicle. Burns were also a 'significant' factor in their deaths. In a traffic crash report from California Highway Patrol, two unidentified witnesses provided a detailed description of the crash and their attempt to rescue the victims before emergency responders arrived. One of the witnesses said they grabbed Tsukahara's arm to try to pull her out of the car, 'but she retreated because of the fire.' 'I could hear (Tsukahara) yelling and the car saying 'crash detected' and something along the lines of calling the police,' the witness said. Carl, the father, described his daughter as a beautiful, young woman who had 'her whole life ahead of her.' He said his family filed the lawsuit in hopes of seeking additional information about the crash. 'We've had to endure not only the loss of our daughter, and our son the loss of his sister, but we have had to suffer through the silence of those who were with her that night and how it is that someone could be in this vehicle in the condition that he was in relative to his alcohol and drug use,' he said in a statement.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
San Jose PD seeks help in finding missing teenage girl
(KRON) – The San Jose Police Department is asking for community assistance in locating a teenage girl. Cadence, 15, was last seen around 8:20 a.m. on Saturday near Piedmont High School in San Jose. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with no sleeves, black pants, a purple backpack and a blue tote bag. Wine theft led to felony charge under Prop 36 She is described as having short blonde hair and blue eyes. Cadence, according to police, weighs around 120 pounds and is 5 feet, 4 inches tall. Anyone with information regarding Cadence's whereabouts is asked to contact SJPD at 408-277-8911. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
California Highway Patrol blames drug use, speeding for fiery Cybertruck crash that killed 3
PIEDMONT, Calif. (AP) — Drug use and excessive speed were to blame for last year's fiery crash of a Tesla Cybertruck that killed three college students near San Francisco, the California Highway Patrol said in a preliminary report. Four people were in the Cybertruck when it veered off a road, slammed into a retaining wall and burst into flames shortly after 3 a.m. on Nov. 27 in Piedmont. 'Officers determined that a combination of driving under the influence of drugs and unsafe speed were the causes' of the crash, the highway patrol said in a statement last week. Although police officers who responded were unable to douse the flames with their fire extinguishers, the fire department put the blaze out quickly, officials said at the time. Piedmont Fire Chief Dave Brannigan said the day after the crash that the speed in extinguishing the flames meant it was unlikely that the Cybertruck's large lithium-ion battery had caught fire. He called the incident 'more along the lines of a typical car fire.' Killed in the single-vehicle crash were Soren Dixon, 19, Jack Nelson, 20, and Krysta Tsukahara, 19. The fourth occupant, Jordan Miller, 20, survived after someone in another car managed to pull him out of the wreckage. All four were home from college for Thanksgiving break and graduates of Piedmont High School, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday. The Chronicle cited toxicology reports that determined the three victims who died had alcohol, cocaine and other substances in their system. Their deaths were ruled an accident because they were caused by asphyxia due to inhalation of smoke from the car, and burns were a 'significant' factor in their deaths, the autopsy report said. The highway patrol's investigation is ongoing and a final reported is expected within months, the agency said. The Cybertruck, which has been available for purchase for more than a year, has been recalled multiple times for safety problems, including once in November because a fault in an electric inverter can cause the drive wheels to lose power. Last April, the futuristic-looking trucks were recalled to fix gas pedals that can get stuck in the interior trim.
