Teen passenger dies in car crash Sunday near Templeton
Teen was a rear-seat passenger in a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old Paso Robles resident
– A 15-year-old Paso Robles resident, Bentley Schmitz, died after he was ejected from a vehicle during a crash Sunday on El Pomar Drive west of Vaquero Road near Templeton, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Schmitz was identified as the person killed in Sunday evening’s crash in a version of a letter Principal Mike Susank sent to Paso Robles High School students and families Monday morning, according to reports.
California Highway Patrol officers responded to the solo-vehicle crash at approximately 9:59 p.m. Officers determined that Jonathan Sanchez, 18, of Paso Robles, was driving a white 2007 Toyota Camry westbound on El Pomar Drive, just west of Vaquero Road, at an unknown speed.
For unknown reasons, Sanchez allowed the vehicle to leave the north roadway edge before it crashed into a tree, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Schmitz was seated in the rear of the vehicle and was ejected during the crash. He died at the scene from his injuries.
Sanchez and another 15-year-old Paso Robles resident who was a passenger in the vehicle were transported to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Alcohol and drugs were not suspected to have been factors in the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol Templeton Area Office.
