VICTIM UPDATE: Watsonville school mourns the loss of students in Aptos crash

UPDATE 3/4/15: On Wednesday, CHP confirmed three of the four victims who survived Sunday night’s crash are still in the hospital.

Officers gave updates on the three who were in the Mercedes. They said the 18-year-old Marina woman is still in critical condition and the 17-year-old Watsonville girl is improving.

Officers said they have not been able to get an update on the 21-year-old Watsonville man. They are also releasing the name of the driver of the Ford F-150. They said his name is Steven Robert Clark, 56, of Aptos and his condition is improving.

PREVIOUS STORY: We’re still monitoring the condition of four people who survived a deadly head on accident in Aptos on Sunday.

Two of the seven passengers in the Mercedes that crashed head on into a truck went to Renaissance High School in Watsonville. News Channel 5 spoke to the principal Tuesday about how his students are coping.

Principal Andrew Singleton of Renaissance High said that he knew three of the seven passengers in the Mercedes that crashed head on into a truck. One of those young people died and one is in critical condition.

Osvaldo Melgoza was one of the front passengers in the Mercedez. The 18 year-old died at the scene on Freedom Boulevard in Aptos. Melgoza is a former student at Renaissance high. Singleton said he visited the 17 year-old girl in the hospital and said shes fighting for her life. Her best friend was a 16-year-old girl who was in the backseat of the Mercedes and died on scene. Now the school has counselors on campus to help during this tragedy.

“They have to have a chance to process. I don’t know anybody who deals with this kind of a tragedy no matter how old you are, so I think it’s important that they have somewhere they can go somewhere they feel safe,” said Singleton.

The first thing the school did was set aside a safe room for the students. It’s a room where they could grieve and have one-on-one time with a counselor. About 20 students took advantage of the grieving room. The school will have it open all week.

PREVIOUS STORY: Some CHP officers called it one of the worst accidents they’ve ever seen. Four people were killed, three of them teens and four others still fighting to survive. It happened around 8 p.m. Sunday near Aptos High School. On Monday, NewsChannel 5 went back to the scene where a Mercedes with seven people in the car went head on into a pickup truck.

“This is where the truck came to rest,” eyewitness Elaine Spotswood said.

Spotswood also went back to the scene of Sunday night’s accident, where she saw debris from the two cars was still all over Freedom Blvd. in Aptos. Spotswood saw the whole accident unfold in front of her

CHP officers said the black Mercedes driven by Arturo Avalos, 22, crossed over the double yellow line and was loaded with people. None were wearing seat belts.

“Unfortunately the Mercedes was occupied by seven individuals,” Santa Cruz CHP spokesperson Brad Sadek said.

Avalos died on scene as well as his two front passengers, Osbaldo Melgoza, 18, of Watsonville and Teresita Brady, 19, of Soquel. Friends of Avalos and Melgoza came to the crash site to see it for themselves.

“At first I couldn’t believe it. I’ve known him since fourth grade so basically he was like a brother with me,” Joey Gonzalez said.

“I don’t have words right now,” another friend stated.

The fourth victim and youngest passenger, a 16-year-old girl in the backseat, died at the hospital.

“I put the truck in park, got out went to the Ford truck first,” Spotswood explained.

Spotswood, who slammed on her brakes to avoid hitting the ford F-150 truck, said she immediately ran to help.

Spotswood said the 56-year-old Aptos man was not alert and CHP said he is in critical condition.

“This is my pocket knife that I keep on me,” Spotswood explained, as she described the moment she punctured the airbag.

“When I started talking to him he was in shock dazed,” Spotswood said.

“There was alcohol, broken bottles and full bottles and half empty bottles found in the car,” Sadek said.

On Monday, mourners visited the crash site and paid their respects by dropping off flowers, candles and a cross. The driver of the truck and three other passengers who were in the back seat of the Mercedes are still in critical condition.

Melgoza, the 16-year-old girl who died and the 17-year-old girl who is in critical condition are all students at Renaissance High School. School officials tell us counselors are working with students as they mourn their loss.