17-year-old killed, 16-year-old seriously injured in tragic crash near Temecula
A violent crash near Temecula has left high schoolers grieving the death of a teenage girl and praying for the full recovery of another teenager.
"She was almost like an older sister to me," Emily Clavin, a friend of teenagers, said as she held back tears. "I'm sorry. She was like the funniest person I know."
Gia Rizzo's boyfriend Gavin Hooper was driving the trio — his littler sister Landis, 16, and Rizzo, 17, — home from his graduation last week when they were T-boned by a pickup truck on SR-79 in Winchester. According to the California Highway Patrol, witnesses claimed that the 30-year-old driver of the GMC Sierra ran a red light before striking the teens.
Rizzo was riding in the front passenger seat and died. Gavin and Landis were both seriously injured, with the latter suffering a traumatic brain injury and currently fighting for her life at the hospital.
"I used to go to Gavin's house a lot with Gia and Landis, his little sister," said Clavin. "It just doesn't feel real."
Police said the crash was not caught on cameras. They are still looking to see who is at fault and if distracted driving played a factor.
"It just sucks that everyone thinks so horribly about him and how the story's going right now," said Rachel Nowka, a friend of a 30-year-old driver. "Which, that's not how it was. He wasn't drunk or anything."
CHP said neither of the drivers in the crash were under the influence.
The unidentified 30-year-old is also hospitalized with major injuries. Nowka says she hopes the community reserves judgment until the investigation is complete. She expressed her condolences for Rizzo and her loved ones.
"I feel so bad for the family, her friends — everything," said Nowka.
No one has been charged with the crash yet.
The Hooper family is raising funds online to help cover medical expenses for Gavin and Landis. Another fundraiser also hopes to raise money for a nonprofit Rizzo worked for, Kids Court and Counseling Center. The organization works with children who've experienced abuse.
Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP Temecula office at (951) 506-2000.
The fundraiser for Rizzo can be found on GoFundMe with the search terms "Gia's Fund - Supporting children and teens." It has raised about $60,000. The fundraiser for Gavin and Landis could be found under "Help for Landis Hooper and Hooper family."
