Agoura High School student commits suicide in car crash

Agoura High School student commits suicide in car crash By John Loesing Acorn Staff Writer

Victor Westerband

Memorial services were held Tuesday for a troubled Agoura High School student who drove his speeding car off a mountain road in what authorities are calling an apparent suicide.

Victor Westerband, a 15-year-old sophomore, died in a fiery crash the morning of May 8 when the automobile he was driving, a brand new Mercedes, went over a cliff and landed in a deep ravine just north of Tunnel No. 3 on Kanan Dume Road, south of the 101 Freeway.

Heading northbound at about 100 mph, the car swerved into the opposite lane, clipped an oncoming truck and launched hundreds of feet into the air, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver of the other vehicle wasn’t injured.

Los Angeles County firefighters rappelled to the crash site and put out a small brush fire that had been caused by the wreckage. They found the boy’s body burned beyond recognition.

"If you can paint a picture here, the entire vehicle was fully engulfed and the vehicle was flattened, and at its thickest point, it was probably three feet," said Leland Tang of CHP.

"They pulled the VIN (vehicle identification number) plate off and through the VIN number were able to track where the car was delivered to," Tang said.

Brigeli Westerband, Victor’s mother, said her son had a learner’s permit, but no license. The parents were out of town on May 8 and left the newly purchased car at the family’s home in Westlake Village.

During services at the Church of the Epiphany in Oak Park, Victor was remembered as a talented music student and a "sensitive soul."

He won an award as the top alto saxophone player at Lindero Canyon Middle School and was enjoying equal success this year with the Agoura High Wind Ensemble.

Underneath the surface, however, were deep insecurities. Victor was struggling in the classroom and feared what his parents might think when they returned to town and saw his grades.

"He felt he was not the perfect child that we wanted him to be," said his mother.

Sources said Victor spoke to several friends at the high school about his troubles, and left behind a note.

"There was a note, but I can’t tell you anything about the contents," said Sgt. Mark Winters of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The county’s Department of the Coroner is investigating whether Victor had consumed any illegal substances before the incident.

"At this time we don’t have any other information to substantiate that other than waiting for toxicology," said Lt. Ed Winter of the coroner’s office.

Brigeli Westerband said she and her husband had just celebrated the success of their other son, a 13-year-old seventh-grader who went to Washington, D.C. for a school leadership forum. The news about Victor stunned both family and community.

"I just want the kids to know that they should not feel alone even if times are very hard and they should know that there is somebody out there who loves them," said Victor’s mother.

The family is asking that donations be made to the Agoura High School Music Program, c/o Hector Westerband, 32720 Barrett Drive, Westlake Village, CA, 91361.