Agoura Hills teenager killed in auto accident

Krystin Shank Krystin Shank, 18, died in a car accident at 10:30 a.m. Monday on Westlake Boulevard south of Kanan Road in Thousand Oaks, police said.

The Agoura Hills resident was pronounced dead at the scene by the Ventura County Fire Department, said Dave Worthy, a deputy with the Thousand Oaks Police Department.

According to reports, Sean Michael Gittens, 18, was driving a 1996 Ford Explorer southbound on Westlake Boulevard when he lost control of the vehicle. The SUV jumped the median and collided with an oak tree in the center divider.

Gittens, a resident of Thousand Oaks, was taken to Los Robles Hospital where he was reported in serious condition.

At the time of the accident, Gittens was on probation for a juvenile offense and was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, police said.

Because the teen was convicted as a juvenile, the Ventura County District Attorney’s office would not comment as to the nature of his crime.

Worthy said both speed and Monday’s rainy weather were factors in the accident. The collision is still being investigated and a toxicology report wasn’t available, police said. Reports show that in the last five years there have been multiple fatal car accidents along the same stretch of road on Westlake Boulevard. Two years ago, the speed limit in the area was raised from 45 mph to 50 mph.

Krystin graduated from Agoura High School in 2005 and was a freshman at Moorpark College. She is survived by her mother, Gayle, brother, Daniel–both Agoura Hills residents–and her father, Don, who lives in Colorado.

Viewing will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Pierce Bros. chapel. The service will be Saturday at 2 p.m.