Officials name Santa Paula teen cyclist who died after being hit by car
Joe Curley
Ventura County Star
The Santa Paula teen who died last week after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle last month has been identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office.
Matthew Ismael Castanon, a 16-year-old from Santa Paula, was hit by a sedan on the evening of Sept. 23 in the 100 block of West Santa Barbara Street, the Santa Paula Police Department reported.
More:Teen bicyclist dies a week after he was hit by car in Santa Paula
The student-athlete's loss was immediately felt in the Santa Paula community. He wore No. 32 for the Santa Paula junior varsity boys basketball team as a sophomore last year. At Isbell Middle School, he won a spelling bee as a seventh grader and was named Most Outstanding Student as a sixth grader.
"He was respectful, polite and hardworking," Santa Paula athletic director Danny Guzman said. "It was a shock. The whole school is still grieving."
Santa Paula High posted a black ribbon on its website on Thursday along with a statement that included, "SPHS students and staff have lost one of our students to a tragic accident."
A moment of silence was observed at 8:05 a.m. and the bell in the school's bell tower tolled "to honor our fallen Cardinal."
Students, parents and staff were provided contact information for school counselors and a link in Google Classroom to a Wellness Check-in "for any of our students and staff that need assistance to deal with their grief and help them process their feelings of loss."
Castanon was initially taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center in critical condition and was later transported to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where he died on Oct. 1.
The driver of the sedan has cooperative with investigators, authorities said. Impairment from drugs or alcohol did not appear to be a factor. No arrests have been made.
Joe Curley covers breaking news for the Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @vcsjoecurley.