Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic deaths of four Pepperdine students fatally struck on Pacific Coast Highway as they strolled to an event, and Friday the city of Malibu will host a news conference to discuss initiatives implemented over the past year to improve safety on PCH.
Pepperdine seniors Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams were walking on the night of Oct. 17, 2023, when they were struck and killed on the northbound shoulder of a section of PCH known as “Dead Man’s Curve,” a short stretch between Las Flores Canyon and Carbon Canyon roads.
The stretch of PCH reportedly has seen the highest number of auto accidents on the overall 21-mile coastal road.
The news conference Friday at the Ghost Tires Memorial on PCH will discuss initiatives such as new legislation authorizing speed cameras to be installed at five critical locations along the coastal highway, increased enforcement efforts, including the creation of a Malibu CHP Task Force and collaborative operations with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which officials say have already led to a 36% reduction in injury collisions, and other efforts.
There are also moves underway to redesign PCH. According to the city of Malibu, the long-term plan will “transform PCH from a high-speed highway into a safer, community-focused corridor, providing safe access for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.”
In honor of the students, the city of Malibu will host a candlelight vigil and night of remembrance Thursday evening at the Ghost Tires Memorial. Battery-operated candles will be provided to illuminate the night.
The four Alpha Phi sorority sisters, who were all 20 or 21 years old, were killed when a driver who was allegedly speeding west on PCH slammed into several parked cars on the north shoulder of the roadway. Sheriff’s officials said those parked cars struck the four women, killing them at the scene. A fifth student, who was injured, survived.
The driver, Fraser Michael Bohm, 22, was charged with four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
No safeguards were in place for pedestrians on the stretch of PCH even though the city has known about the dangers for decades, lawyers for the students’ parents allege.
The four students were set to graduate among Pepperdine’s class of 2024, and received posthumous degrees, the university said.
Rolston was a business administration major who planned to pursue an MBA in business analytics. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she graduated from Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, where she was a varsity cheerleader and pole vaulter on the track and field team. The university described her on its website as “a kind, helpful, and joyful person … dedicated to serving others by infusing each situation with positivity.”
Stewart was an international business major at Pepperdine. Raised in New Jersey, she served as the vice president of finance for the Alpha Phi sorority while maintaining a part-time job in Seaver College’s Career Center. Following graduation, Stewart looked forward to beginning a career in the tech industry. She was remembered as “highly involved” in campus life, and described as “a selfless, thoughtful and positive person.”
Weir was an English writing and rhetoric major. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, she grew up in Pennsylvania. She was a Pepperdine orientation leader, member of the Indian Student Association and active member of the sorority. According to the university, she “selflessly served the Seaver college community with her emotional intelligence and positive spirit. Upon graduation, Weir planned to use her writing ability to make an encouraging and healing impact on others.”
Williams was a pre-med biology major at Seaver College. As an undergraduate, she served as vice president of the pre-veterinary club, the recruitment chair for the sorority and the recruitment counselor for the Panhellenic Club. “A confident, determined and energetic person, Williams possessed the ability to make others feel seen, heard and valued,” the university said. “These abilities allowed her to cultivate a community of belonging at Pepperdine.”
A memorial fund was established by the university to support the families, friends and community members affected by the tragedy. Pepperdine also established the “Our Four Angels Endowed Scholarship,” a grant in honor of the four undergraduate students.
The parents of the four students who died and the fifth student who was injured are suing the state of California, Caltrans, the California Coastal Commission, Los Angeles County and Malibu.
The separately filed Santa Monica Superior Court lawsuits contend that all of the entities share liability for the allegedly dangerous roadway design on that portion of PCH and for not implementing life-saving safety measures.
“For far too long, Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu has been and continues to be unsafe for pedestrians and drivers alike,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a joint statement. “As a result of the defendants’ complacency, far too many lives have been needlessly lost.”
The goal of the lawsuits is to force the government entities to “do what they should have done a long time ago so no more lives are needlessly taken,” according to the joint plaintiffs’ attorneys’ statement.
A sheriff’s captain reported that from 2013-23 there were 53 deaths and 92 serious injuries in the area and attempts to improve conditions through law enforcement have had minimal or temporary results, according to the suits.
Although not directly related to the four students’ deaths, a fundraiser is scheduled at Pepperdine’s Alumni Park on Sunday for the Emily Shane Foundation, which was created after a 13-year-old girl was run down by a reckless driver while she was walking along PCH on her way home from a friend’s house in 2010. She was the daughter of producer Michel Shane, who made “21 Miles in Malibu,” a feature documentary about the frequent fatalities on the highway.
The film examines the history of Malibu and PCH and explores why stricter regulations have long been suggested but never before implemented.
