San Marin High Grad Killed in Highway 101 Crash Near County Line

A 20-year-old Petaluma woman was killed in a two-car crash on Highway 101 early Tuesday morning north of Novato, a fire official said.

The woman was identified later Tuesday morning as Novato native Kimberly Augusto, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Principal Robert Vieth of San Marin High School said Augusto was a graduate of the school. Class listings show her as a 2009 graduate.

A van with four occupants — members of a nationally known blues rock band — was heading northbound on 101 a half mile south of San Antonio Road when it struck the driver’s side of a four-door sedan driven by Augusto, according to Battalion Chief Mark Heine of the Novato Fire District. Paramedics pronounced her dead after she was extricated from the 2000 Nissan Altima, Heine said.

The CHP reported getting a call at 1:05 a.m., and Novato fire crews arrived at 1:13 a.m. near the Marin-Sonoma county line, Heine said. One lane of the highway was closed for about four hours after the crash, the CHP said.

CHP Officer Ralph Caggiano said vehicle reportedly crashed into the center divide and then was struck by the van, a 2008 Ford E-350. Augusto's sedan ended up blocking one lane of traffic and pinned against the center guardrail.

The four occupants of the van were treated and released at the scene, Heine said. The CHP identified them as Raymond Freeman, 46, of Venice. Fla.; Eric Gales, 36, of Golden Valley, Minn.; Hubert Crawford, 52, of Memphis, Tenn.; and Paul Taylor, 37, of Memphis.

The van occupants are members of the Memphis-based Eric Gales Band, a blues rock group that had just finished a West Coast tour on Tuesday night by playing at the Biscuits and Blues Festival in San Francisco, according to the band’s website. Gales has been a major-label recording artist for about 20 years and has played with the likes of B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton.

Gales, also known for his Jimi Hendrix tribute performances, has worked extensively with Novato music producer Mike Varney, according to Gales’ website.

Following the initial investigation, the CHP later said Augusto's sedan drifted out of the fast lane toward the median, veered right and struck the guardrail on the slow lane side of 101. The car spun clockwise and stopped crosswise across both lanes. The van, traveling at 65-70 mph, approached and attempted to avoid the stopped sedan by breaking hard and veering left, but it struck the car squarely and both vehicles skidded to a stop along the center divide, the report said.

The CHP is investigating the crash and said alcohol does not appear to be a factor.

Augusto had attended Santa Rosa Junior College and San Francisco State University, according to her profile on Facebook. She was an advanced drama student at San Marin High and participated in many stage performances.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.