The Saugus High School community is in mourning this week after the loss of a well-liked, one-of-a-kind senior who died in a car collision Nov. 27 in Northern California.
California Highway Patrol officers are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of 17-year-old Samuel Grumet and asking for help from anyone who might have seen what happened.
A statement from investigators indicated Grumet was a pedestrian traveling on the southbound side of Interstate 680, south of Crow Canyon Road, around 4:30 a.m., when he came into the path of a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek going about 60 mph.
The driver, a 63-year-old Richmond woman, told officers Grumet entered the freeway on foot from the right shoulder and crossed into her lane. She applied the brakes but was unable to stop, according to the report.
“Samuel Grumet will be greatly missed by his Centurion family,” Saugus High Principal Geni Peterson Henry wrote in an email to The Signal. “His bright smile and friendly personality lit up our campus. He was a wonderful student and an all-around good person.”
Grief counseling is being provided for staff and students as the campus community deals with its heartbreaking loss, she added.
Saugus High lacrosse coach Josh Ireland, who coached Grumet last season, talked about how special Grumet was in a phone interview Tuesday.
Grumet actually was planning to sit out his senior year because he had had dreams of pursuing some pretty lofty goals in terms of military service.
A post on Facebook attributed to a family member mentioned he was working toward a goal of becoming a Navy Seal.
“Everybody knew him on the team and off the team. He was incredibly smart and dedicated to what it was whatever he was doing,” Ireland said, adding how well-rounded he was, too, holding down a job at Bodhi Leaf while being a model student with Advanced Placement courses. “He was one of the unique kids that could balance a high GPA, he had a job at a local coffee shop, and then he was a very successful athlete — so he could balance all three very well.”
He said the team planned to meet that day to discuss a proper tribute for their former teammate, classmate and friend.
Anyone who might have witnessed the collision is asked to call the CHP Dublin Area office at 925-828-0466.
