Pepperdine officials wrestling with the deaths of four seniors who were struck by a car sought to comfort students and faculty Thursday in a prayer service that recalled the young women as “bright lights with promise and aspirations.”
Provost Jay Brewster gave that description of the Pepperdine University’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts students and read each one of their names aloud: Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams. The four were among at least six pedestrians authorities said were hit by a speeding BMW as they walked along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, only a few miles from the private Christian university.
Brewster said the university was in despair from the deaths.
Sobbing could be heard from the crowd gathered at the school’s gymnasium as speakers urged members of the campus community to turn to God and each other for solace at a time of heartbreak.
“Keep loving each other through this tragedy,” said Tim Spivey, associate vice president for spiritual life at the school. “We are among God’s greatest gifts to each other.”
The students were walking along the coastal highway at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when Fraser Michael Bohm, 22, of Malibu, lost control and sideswiped at least three parked vehicles. The four women were pronounced dead at the scene and the two others were taken to a hospital with injuries.
Weir was from Philadelphia and studying English, while Rolston, from Los Angeles, and Stewart, from New York, were both studying business, according to CBS Los Angeles. Williams was from an Atlanta suburb and looking into becoming a veterinarian.
The 22-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The crash is under investigation.
“None of this makes any sense,” university President Jim Gash said. “Our world has been shattered.”
“We must grieve and hope at the same time,” he added.
After the crash, law enforcement officials said more needs to be done to make PCH safe. The road remains dangerous both in Malibu and through Santa Monica.
Lt. Erika Aklufi with the Santa Monica Police Department said unsafe speed a near universal factor in accidents and while the conditions change as the road passes through Santa Monica, PCH remains dangerous up to and during its transition into the 10 freeway.
“Speed is generally the prime causal factor,” she said. “That’s always been an issue on PCH. People drive way too fast.”
That danger often manifests in rollover accidents inside the McClure tunnel where speeding drivers fail to make the turn but it also becomes dangerous when cars turn into or exit beach parking lots.
Aklufi said speed is such a frequent cause because many drivers fail to adapt to the specific situation, regardless of the posted speed limit.
“When we say unsafe speed, that doesn’t mean exceeding the speed limit, that means they’re going too fast in that moment,” she said.