A 2024 BMW M3 lost control on Highway 9 in the Santa Cruz Mountains early Monday night, fell about 400 feet off an embankment, and all three occupants—ages 21, 17, and 27—were killed, CHP said.
The night went dark for three families after a 2024 BMW M3 veered off a steep embankment in the Santa Cruz Mountains and fell about 400 feet, according to California Highway Patrol officials.
CHP said officers were dispatched to the crash west of Redwood Gulch Road off Highway 9 at 9:36 p.m. Monday. The vehicle was eastbound on the two-lane highway that slopes downhill when the driver lost control, CHP said.
Ross Lee, a CHP public information officer, said the car fell roughly 400 feet. “SR-9 is a windy mountainous road,” Lee said. “We have responded to crashes on SR-9 in the past to varying degrees of severity or injury.”
The driver was a 21-year-old man from Yuba City. The two passengers were a 17-year-old boy from San José and a 27-year-old man from Salem, Oregon. All three died in the crash, CHP said. The identities of the victims have not been released.
For about three hours, the highway was closed in both directions while officers investigated. Lee said the CHP’s details of the incident were preliminary and subject to change.
The scene was on a road already known for hazards—wind. winding curves. and steep grades—and the timing of the crash left little room for error. By the time officers arrived. the outcome was final. with a closure lasting hours as investigators worked and families waited for updates that still did not include names.
CHP Santa Cruz Mountains Highway 9 crash embankment BMW M3 Redwood Gulch Road Yuba City San Jose Salem Oregon