4 University Seniors Struck and Killed in Malibu Pedestrian Crash: 'An Unimaginable Tragedy'

While four young women were standing by the side of the road along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, they were hit by parked cars that moved due to a speeding vehicle crashing into those cars.

Four Pepperdine students were knocked over by a stationary car yesterday after it became airborne during a car accident along the notorious PCH highway in Malibu on the evening of October 17, 2023.

The victims are now being mourned by all those who knew and loved them, including fellow students and professors from their university. The young man who caused the accident was barely harmed.

As the university student body and professors gathered to celebrate the lives of the four young women who lost their lives, the man who caused the accident was facing charges for his crime.

What Happened to the Girls?

Immediately after the crash, nobody knew who the young women were who had been hit. Later, it emerged that they were Pepperdine students, and then they were finally identified and their names released.

Authorities confirmed that the four young women, Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams, were standing on the side of the road when 22-year-old Frasier Michael Bohm came speeding down the highway.

He lost control of his vehicle, which crashed into stationery cars parked on the side of the road. One of those cars then hit the young women, killing them. Bohm, on the other hand, got out of his car unscathed. Eyewitnesses said they saw him exit his vehicle with no injuries.

Bohm was driving in his car alone, and authorities found neither drugs nor alcohol in his system. However, they acknowledged that he had been speeding, which likely caused the level of devastation present at the crash.

One eyewitness confirmed that people were taking Bohm out of his car and holding him down on the curb as he yelled and screamed. The witness confirmed that having lived in the area for many years, she had seen numerous crashes, all of them caused by speeding.

The witness said all the accidents had happened in the same place as where the girls were killed and suggested that some flags be erected or that the speed limit be reduced by ten miles per hour as everyone went over the speed limit.

What Has Happened Since the Crash?

After the young women were identified as the four students from Pepperdine University, the university released a statement expressing their heartbreak and sorrow at losing them.

The statement discussed how the tightly-knit school community gathered to mourn the loss. They also addressed the girls' families in a passage which read:

"As a parent, the loss of a child is an unimaginable tragedy. No words can appropriately convey the depth of my sympathy to the families who are living through a reality no parent would ever want to endure. You are not alone. Pepperdine stands with you as you traverse these challenging waters."

Jim Gash, the President and CEO, who wrote the statement at Pepperdine, said his heart had broken with the students'. He also addressed the staff, saying he offered them prayers and comfort as they mourned the loss of their students.

The school gathered for a mass ceremony the day after the crash to remember the young women and their impact on everyone's lives. Gash confirmed that there would be many such gatherings over the coming days. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department also released a press statement about the accident.

The Department confirmed that Bohm was charged with vehicular manslaughter and gross negligence. The Sheriff's Department also confirmed that there was no way for them to share all the information they had because the investigation into the collision was ongoing.

They weren't allowed to reveal details until the case had been closed. The Department then took questions and answered as best they could, considering the limited information they could release. The captain then took over and said they were working with the community to make PCH safer for everyone traveling there. Rest in peace to Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams.

Although there was no way for these four young women to be saved, another woman did everything she could to save the mother of a troubled young girl who had been in a car crash. Read the full story here.