17-year-old girl killed after stepping onto Highway 101 in Templeton, CHP says
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A 17-year-old Paso Robles girl was killed Tuesday night after she stepped onto Highway 101 and was hit by a car in the Templeton area, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At about 10:50 p.m., Bruce Wayne Eddy, 60, of Atascadero, was driving a 2010 Chevrolet Impala on northbound Highway 101 north of Las Tablas Road, the CHP said. Eddy was driving at about 60 mph in the No. 2 lane.
At the same time, the 17-year-old girl was walking on the right-hand shoulder of northbound Highway 101 north of Las Tablas Road, the CHP said.
For reasons that are still unknown, the girl then stepped into the No. 2 lane of northbound Highway 101, directly into the path of the Impala, the CHP said. She was struck by the car and pronounced dead at the scene.
She has not yet been identified, the CHP said.
Jennifer Gaviola, deputy superintendent for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, confirmed in an email to The Tribune that the girl was a student in the district.
“We have counselors and support staff available at Paso Robles High School and Liberty High School to support our grieving students and staff,” Gaviola wrote in the email. “The counselors and psychologists across the district have been informed should needs arise at other sites.”
Gaviola said the district will not be releasing the student’s name out of respect for the family’s privacy.
“Please continue to keep this family in your thoughts as well as our students/staff at LHS,” the email read. It was not immediately clear whether the girl was a student at Liberty High School or Paso Robles High School.
The CHP said they don’t believe the driver of the Impala was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The collision is under investigation.
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 7:37 AM.
