A mangled guardrail and a torn up hillside marks the scene of a fatal crash Tuesday morning on Highway 1 north of Watsonville. California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said an 18-year-old Santa Cruz man was traveling southbound on Highway 1 in a 2001 Chevy Suburban with a 29-year-old male passenger. At 2:52 a.m. the Chevy shot off the right shoulder of the highway north of Mar Monte Avenue. The Suburban tore out a lengthy section of guardrail before careening into an oak tree, which hurled the passenger from the SUV. The Chevy then tumbled down a steep hillside of loose soil and scattered brush. Courtney said the passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver suffered minor injuries. Fatigue appears to have played a role in what led to the crash, Courtney said. The incident is still under investigation.
