Friends and relatives of Garth Li, 16, of Palo Alto are grieving after Garth was found dead in a 1983 BMW that hit a concrete-and-metal center divider while heading south on Interstate 280 in Woodside early on the morning of July 6.
A makeshift memorial has been established on the side of I-280 where he died. The memorial is on the off-ramp at Farm Hill Boulevard, in Woodside, from the southbound lanes. In addition, a memorial service has been set for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at Roller Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Home, 980 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto.
Emergency crews found Garth alone at the wheel of the car near the Farm Hill Boulevard exit, said Officer Ricky Franklin of the California Highway Patrol. He was identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office.
Garth had recently completed his sophomore year at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, according to the school’s student directory.
It is not clear what caused the gray BMW 318 to leave the road at a “high rate of speed” and hit the divider, the CHP said. Because the case is still open, the coroner has not released information on the cause of death.
Garth may have been driving illegally. During the first year after receiving a provisional license — issued to all drivers under the age of 18 — drivers are not allowed to drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. without the company of a licensed adult at least 25 years old, according to the Web site of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
This restriction, which went into effect in January, reflects recent statistics showing a dramatic increase over the last five years of “citations/serious accidents involving provisional drivers (between) 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.,” according to a teen-oriented set of questions and answers on the DMV Web site.
The provisional license driving restriction has exceptions, such as for medical reasons, but except for “emancipated minors” — teens who aren’t living at home — all the exceptions require notes from authorities that spell out the need to drive during these hours.
Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call CHP officers Melhus or Franklin at 369-6261.
— Bay City News
