Local girl dies, OCHS football player loses limb, spleen after car wreck

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

Agoura High School sophomore and captain of her cheerleading team, Kimberly Kimble-Gast, died early Saturday as a result of a collision caused by a car driven on the wrong side of the 101 Freeway near Refugio Road in Santa Barbara County.

Michael Rivas, 16, was driving the minivan that carried Kimble-Gast, his father, Michael Rivas Sr., and two other students. Michael Rivas Jr. had his left leg amputated below the knee, his spleen removed and a lacerated liver, according to Tom Konjoyan, vice president of development at Oaks Christian High School, where Rivas is a student. Rivas Sr. and two other 16- year-old students from Newbury Park were also injured, but not as severely. They were released from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on Sunday.

According to Agoura High School Principal Larry Misel, the students and Mr. Rivas were on their way to a church retreat in Pismo Beach after Rivas, a straight-A student and defensive back for the Oaks Christian High School football team, helped lead his team to victory at Friday night’s football game.

Kimble-Gast was pronounced dead just six hours after the crash, which occurred around 12:30 a.m. when a driver of a Mercury Cougar crashed into the minivan while driving on the wrong side of the freeway in Santa Barbara County.

The driver of the wrong-way vehicle, Miguel Martinez, 23, and his passenger, Jose Hernandez, 20, both from Goleta, died in the collision as well. It hasn’t been determined whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

Misel said that Kimble-Gast had to deal with many unfortunate events in her your life. In July, she suffered the unexpected death of her mother due to complications from surgery, and she’d only seen her father sporadically after her parents divorced when she was 3. The day after her mother’s funeral, "Kimberly came to cheerleading practice," Misel said, indicating that she was a positive thinking young person who was well liked by everyone.

After her mother’s death, Kimble-Gast lived with Michael Murrie, a professor of journalism and television at Pepperdine University. According to other newspaper reports, Murrie and his wife, Jackie, were in the process of becoming Kimble-Gast’s legal guardians.

The crisis intervention team was set into motion at the start of school Monday, Misel said. The team consists of district and school psychologists, administrative staff and Kimble-Gast’s teachers. All teachers were notified of the incident and grieving students were encouraged to talk with counselors. Grief counseling was also offered at Oaks Christian High School.

"The campus is quiet today," Misel said on Monday. "We are mourning (Kimberly’s) passing, yet want to celebrate her life," he added.

Tom Konjoyan, vice president of development at Oaks Christian High School, said that Mike Rivas is "a fantastic athlete, a talented musician and a very popular kid on campus."

Rivas is being treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where he was in fair condition.

A memorial service was conducted for Kimble-Gast at Agoura High School on Wednesday evening.