3 dead in St. Helena crash | Napa Valley Register

3 dead in St. Helena crash

Three people died early Friday morning in a single vehicle crash in St. Helena. Tony Leonardini submitted photo | Buy photos

Saturday, April 18, 2009

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By KERANA TODOROV
Register Staff Writer

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Two first-year students at The Culinary Institute of America are among the three men who died Friday in a high-speed single-vehicle crash in St. Helena, according to St. Helena Police.

The men were in a 1999 silver BMW 540i eastbound in the 200 block of Pratt Avenue at around 1 a.m. when the car crashed into an oak tree near the Silverado Trail, St. Helena Police and St. Helena Fire officials said Friday.

The driver, John Gomes Melo, 45, of Petaluma, the front-seat passenger, Jacob Aron Shapiro, 26, of Tahoe City and the rear-seat passenger, Adam Gregory Rains, 32, of West Sacramento, were pronounced dead at the scene at 1:18 a.m., Sheriff’s Capt. John Robertson said. Shapiro and Rains were students at the institute, police said.

Autopsies were conducted on all the occupants of the car and toxicology reports are pending, police said in a statement. All were wearing their seatbelts, according to police.

“The cause of the collision has not been determined at this time, although excessive speed appears to be a factor based on the major damage caused to the vehicle. The collision is currently under investigation,” police said.

St. Helena Fire Chief Kevin Twohey said firefighters extricated the three men from the car after the coroner arrived to the scene.

Pratt Avenue was closed until 3 a.m.

Cpl. Ramon Jovel said a CIA security guard was making his rounds of dormitories and other properties the institute owns in the area when he saw the crashed car and called for help.

Charles Henning, managing director at the CIA, said Shapiro and Rains were among the 104 students enrolled in the CIA’s two-year program.

“They were two great freshmen, loved by everyone,” Henning said. “We are really saddened by their departure.”

16 comment(s)

UncleStuy wrote on Apr 17, 2009 12:05 PM:

" How did they determine the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed ? Was the car an accordian against the tree ? First sentence states "Three men died early this morning in a high-speed single vehicle crash in St. Helena" Then further down the article it states "It is unclear how fast the car was traveling ". It appears there was no witness to the accident and the security guard did hear the sound of the crash. Any how, it's still a horrific crash. "

St.HelenaWineGuy wrote on Apr 17, 2009 12:52 PM:

" With damage as seen in the photo, this was no 35 mph collision!

As usual, people are speeding on Pratt (posted 35 mph). The local police don't give a damn about speeding on this street in spite of repeated calls from the residents for action.

There is a dog-leg in the road to the left as you approach the Trail, and these guys went into the tree. My guess is more than 50mph. "

LACousin wrote on Apr 17, 2009 1:04 PM:

" I hope we find out what happened so we can do what's necessary to ensure that it doesn't happen again. 3 lives lost, devastated parents, grandparents, siblings and families. A tragedy that has touched so many lives. It should not have happened. "

bloodagar wrote on Apr 17, 2009 1:20 PM:

" Either way, how tragic.

Another reason to thank all of the first responders who have to witness the aftermath of such incidents. "

UncleStuy wrote on Apr 17, 2009 3:25 PM:

" As the old saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words". I agree, faster than 35 mph. "

jonb123 wrote on Apr 17, 2009 3:38 PM:

" I can't believe someone is whining about the way the article is written and a statement made by an officer. They aren't English majors, they're cops. If you've seen many vehicle collisions I'm sure you get a "feel" or what kind of speed crash it is. And they have measuring calculations if there are skid marks. Even a radar detector isn't 100% acurate. Just thought you might want to know. "

pinkflame wrote on Apr 17, 2009 5:00 PM:

" Its clearly evident it was a high speed crash, especially if you look closely at the tree. Either way, tragic. Slow down people. "

MarkMiwords wrote on Apr 17, 2009 8:53 PM:

" I live very close to where this happened. People frequently Pratt Ave. at 50 to 60MPH. The spped limit is 35MPH. Heading west, the road is straight. Heading east, there is a severe left curve in the road. This driver was heading east, and didn't make the left curve at all. He kept going straight. If the tree hadn't stopped him, the car would have gone into the Napa River. So sad. People slow down. "

napa1957 wrote on Apr 18, 2009 12:37 AM:

" I'm glad Mr. Leonardini was able to capture this photo. It tells the story. How sad for all of the families, and the friends at the CIA. "

starling wrote on Apr 18, 2009 6:12 AM:

" Let me put it this way, when I was in a head on crash, the car that hit me wasn't even 1/3rd as messed up as this one is. I was, thank god, in a SUV, and even accounting for the fact that my tow hitches were imbedded in her radiator, only the front end was messed up on our vehicles. This car shows damage to the doors, and middle to back tire area. This was definately a high speed crash. "

ketama wrote on Apr 18, 2009 9:10 AM:

" Completely agree with jonb123 . . . what a waste of space!

My heart goes out to all those left behind. "

tahoegal wrote on Apr 18, 2009 7:13 PM:

" Jake, R.I.P. You will never be forgotten!!! You will always be loved!!!

Your Tahoe Family
xoxoxo "

Victoria911 wrote on Apr 18, 2009 11:58 PM:

" UncleStuy, you are correct there were no witnesses to this accident, St. Helena Police is investigating the events leading to the accident, anyone with information who may have seen John, Jacob and Adam the evening of the accident should call the station and speak to an officer. The Security Officer came across the accident sometime after it occurred. For those of us in this line of work, we understand what a high speed collision looks like, this vehicle was going well over 50mph. The picture displayed is only a glimpse of the damage. My prayers go out to the families of those involved. "

monkeyface wrote on Apr 19, 2009 1:16 AM:

" Jake you were the best of friends, a
spectacular futbol player and always
determined in all of your endeavors.

I do not have any great epitaph-
Only so much love for the Shapiros.
Jake AKA Shady we will forever miss you.

No words can describe the loss the
Fieldston community, West Side Soccer
league peoples, and your family surely feel. "

britamsw wrote on Apr 19, 2009 10:13 AM:

" I am a family friend of one of the three men unfortunate to be involved in this horrific accident. I am not from the area, but from the comments written regarding this article, it sounds like this is not the first time something like this has happened on this road. I hope that the lives of these men do not go unnoticed by the city and something is done to make sure this doesn't happen again.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all the family members and friends of these three men. "

Sonomacores wrote on Apr 20, 2009 1:19 PM:

" My bestfriend was good friends with the driver... john melo. We are all saddened by the horrific accident we heard about on friday afternoon. Knowing our friend he was a good driver but we suspect alcohol/other substances had played a role in this tragic accident. Funeral service is not till tuesday so we have not heard anything about the toxcology results yet, I am just sorry that if that was the case, he took two innocent men with him. We are all deeply saddened by this event and very sorry his life ended this way. "

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