Victims Killed In Bodega Bay Crash Were Coast Guard Members

BODEGA BAY - Two members of the U.S. Coast Guard were killed in a solo vehicle crash on state Highway 1 in Bodega Bay Saturday, the Sonoma County sheriff’s officials said.

The Sonoma County coroner’s office identified them as Daniel McKnew, 25, of Lake Jackson, Texas, and Samantha Crowell, 21, of Ocean Grove, N.J.

Both were stationed at the Coast Guard base in Two Rock, sheriff’s Sgt. Cecile Focha said. Their families were located and informed of the deaths by members of the Guard.

McKnew and Crowell were riding in a 2012 Hyundai Genesis on Highway 1 near Doran Beach State Park around 1 a.m. when the car crashed at high speed into a tree and burst in flames, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

Also on Patch: Three Killed In Two Valentine’s Day Crashes

The California Highway Patrol is conducting the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the vehicle collision.

-Bay City News Service, image in the public domain