HOLLISTER
– A fatal motorcycle accident with a school bus on Wright Road
in Hollister took the life of Salinas resident Aaron Castro, 24,
shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday.
HOLLISTER – A fatal motorcycle accident with a school bus on Wright Road in Hollister took the life of Salinas resident Aaron Castro, 24, shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Castro, who was riding eastbound on his newly purchased blue Buell Firebolt motorcycle, crashed into the back of a school bus that was stopped in the middle of the eastbound lane, said Det. Sgt. Wes Walker of the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department.
Castro was on his way to work at Greenwood Chevrolet in Hollister at the time of the accident.
“He must have been distracted somehow, because there were no skid marks,” said California Highway Patrol Capt. Bob Davies. “He ran right into the back of the bus.”
Fog was heavy in the early morning, but lack of visibility was most likely not the reason for the collision, Davies said.
Upon colliding with the right rear bumper of the bus, the motorcycle skidded under the bus and Castro fell on the gravel just to the right of the bus, said Officer S. Tarra, who was the first officer at the scene.
“Speed isn’t a factor and he was wearing a helmet with a full chin and face mask,” Tarra said.
Arriving at the scene about four minutes after the collision, Tarra said he could not detect a pulse or respiration.
The school bus, en route to Marguerite Maze Middle School, was driven by Hollister resident Marbila Astudillo. Astudillo pulled the bus over to pick up a student at 1611 Wright Road, activated the flashing yellow lights, but hadn’t put the stop sign and red lights on yet when she felt a “bump” and realized a motorcycle had rear ended the bus, Walker said.
“There was no fault on her part. She was trying to do everything she could,” Tarra said. “(When it happened) she got out momentarily and then went back in and tended to the kids.”
None of the children were injured and didn’t seem to be too traumatized by the tragedy, Tarra said.
“The kids actually took it pretty well,” he said.
Tarra had the bus driver pull forward when he arrived, out of view of the accident scene when they fully realized the extent of the situation, he said.
Most of the children on the bus were 10 and 11-year-olds from Marguerite Maze. Counseling will be available through the school for any children who need it, as well as for the bus driver, said Assistant Superintendent Peter Gutierrez.
“My conjecture is that the motorcycle driver hit the bus from behind and the students didn’t see it, so they’re probably not as traumatized than if they actually saw it happen,” he said.
Castro, who had worked at Greenwood Chevrolet for more than five years, had been riding his new motorcycle to work for the past couple of months, said Marty Greenwood, Castro’s employer at the car dealership.
“He was a great young man,” Greenwood said. “He never complained, was always there to help – it’s a tremendous loss and he will be greatly missed.”
Castro’s parents reside in Gilroy and he had family and a fiancé in Salinas.
An autopsy was performed Wednesday morning, however an official cause of death hasn’t been issued yet, said Det. Isabel Gomez of the Sheriff’s department.
