Updated: Woman Killed In St Helena Solo-Vehicle Crash

UPDATE: 12:45PM-

The California Highway Patrol and the Napa County Sheriff's Office have identified Fen Pan, a 20-year-old woman from Redlands, as the Pacific Union College student who was killed in a solo-vehicle crash near St. Helena on Monday afternoon.

Pan was one of seven occupants between 19 and 22 years old who were in a 2004 Ford Expedition traveling north on Deer Park Road just south of Sunnyside Drive in unincorporated Napa County around 1:50 p.m., CHP Officer Marc Renspurger said.

The SUV driver, Issac Soon Hwang, 21, of Chino, made an unsafe turning movement that allowed the Ford to drift onto the right shoulder and strike a boulder, Renspurger said.

Pan, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected when the vehicle overturned, Renspurger said. She was pronounced dead by emergency medical responders at 2:04 p.m., sheriff's Capt. Steve Blower said.

The other occupants suffered minor injuries and were taken to Santa Rosa and St. Helena hospitals and the Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa.

On its Facebook page, Pacific Union College officials said all of the vehicle's occupants were students at the liberal arts Seventh-Day Adventist school in Angwin.

Here's the posting from Pacific Union College:

Today, the PUC campus community mourns the loss of Fen Pan, an international student from Beijing, China, who died as the result of a car accident Deer Park, Calif., shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, March 28. Fen was one of seven people in the vehicle. The accident remains under investigation.

Injured in the accident were Yejin An, from Guam; Ruth Bahta, from Carmichael, Calif.; Soon Joo Hwang and Issac Hwang from Chino Hills, Calif.; Jihyun Kim, from Guam; and Jaeyeong Choi, from Colton, Calif. All have been released from area hospitals.

Fen, 20, graduated from Loma Linda Academy in 2014. She was studying music and pre-dentistry at PUC. On behalf of the entire campus community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, we express our deepest condolences to Fen’s family in Beijing; her host family, the Saesims, of Redlands, Calif.; and her friends, fellow students, and professors.

“Our campus community is saddened by the loss of our dear, sweet Fen Pan. Her love for life was contagious amongst her family and friends. Her beautiful smile, her ability to connect and make close, lifelong friends, and her genuine commitment to loved ones will always be a cherished memory,” says Lisa Bissell Paulson, vice president for student services.

PUC students have reacted with compassion and emotion to the news and are honoring and remembering Fen in many ways, as well as lifting up the others involved. Last night, members of the campus gathered in Scales Chapel to pray together. Students wrote personal messages and prayers and pinned them to a symbolic cross located in the front of the chapel. Pastors, chaplains, and counselors provided much needed support to the participants.

A memorial service is planned for this Thursday, March 31, at 10 a.m. at the PUC Church. More details will be announced as they become available.

“The atmosphere at PUC is very sad right now as Monday was the first day of the spring quarter, and this is a rather tragic way to begin this final quarter of an otherwise very positive school year,” college president Heather J. Knight told the Adventist Review. “We will continue to provide spiritual and emotional support for our campus community in the days to come,” she said.

Campus chaplains, residence hall deans, pastoral staff, and counselors remain available for students, faculty, and staff. The Career & Counseling Center will be extending their hours well into the evening this week for walk-in grief support services. Their hours are as follows:

Tuesday, March 29: 6-10 p.m.

Wednesday, March 30: 6-9 p.m.

Thursday, March 31: 6-8 p.m.

Friday, April 1: 1-5 p.m.

There will be a student grief support group co-sponsored by both the Career & Counseling Center and the department of psychology and social work Wednesday, March 30, at 6 p.m. Additionally, there will be a faculty and staff grief support group co-sponsored by Napa County Mental Health Services and the Career & Counseling Center Wednesday, March 30, at 12 p.m. and again at 1 p.m. The college’s regular on-call counselor is also available 24/7 at (707) 965-6789.

We ask for your continued prayers for Fen’s family, friends, and loved ones.

Blower said there have been several fatal accidents on Deer Park Road that leads to the college, often at a hairpin turn known as Devil's Elbow.

The fatal crash Monday was further away, he said. Pan's father, who lives in Beijing, was notified of his daughter's death, Renspurger said.

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(original story)

SAINT HELENA - A woman was killed and several other occupants of an SUV were injured in a solo-vehicle, rollover crash near St. Helena in northern Napa County Monday afternoon, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The crash happened around 1:50 p.m. on eastbound Deer Park Road near Sunnyside Road, and it's possible the occupants were students of the Pacific Union College, a Seventh-Day Adventist liberal arts school in nearby Angwin, according to CHP Officer Marc Renspurger.

Also on Patch: CHP Reports Major Accident On Deer Park Road In Saint Helena

The injured passengers were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial and St. Helena hospitals, Renspurger said.

The deceased woman, between 18 and 25 years old, was trapped under the Ford Expedition that landed on its passenger side in the crash, Renspurger said.

The crash occurred near the Foothill Adventist Elementary School at 711 Sunnyside Road near St. Helena, but students were indoors at the time of the crash, Renspurger said.

-Bay City News, image via Pacific Union College Facebook page