Former El Cerrito Student in Grave Condition After Prius Crash on Marin

The skateboarder in a car crash at Marin and Tulare avenues is in "grave" condition, authorities said Tuesday morning. 

Berkeley Police said, after their preliminary investigation, that it appeared the driver of a Prius was eastbound on Marin Avenue making a northbound turn onto Tulare when he hit a skateboarder who was westbound on Marin.

senior Gabe Scaglione identified the victim as friend 18-year-old Tyler De Martini.

He said De Martini used to attend El Cerrito High. Scaglione said, via Twitter, "He's a strong kid and has so many people praying for him."

Scaglione added that De Martini lives in Berkeley but used to attend El Cerrito High before switching to a course of independent study.

Warren Lyons, a Highland Hospital spokesman, confirmed late Tuesday that De Martini was in critical condition at the medical center.

POLICE DETAILS STILL SCANT

According to Berkeley Police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss: "The City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) received calls regarding a collision at Marin and Tulare at about 7:05 p.m. on Monday, January 30, 2012."

Tuesday afternoon, Kusmiss reported, via email, that the driver in the accident was a 54-year-old Berkeley man: "Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in this collision. The skateboarder is also a Berkeley resident.”

The Berkeley Police Department will provide an update "when and if necessary. Because the skateboarder is 18, he is not required to wear a helmet when riding," said Kusmiss.

City of Berkeley Fire Department paramedics took the skateboarder to a local trauma center; he was seriously injured in the collision and, according to trauma physicians, is in "grave" condition. 

Kusmiss said, in an email news release, that, due to the seriousness of the collision, Berkeley Police Department's Fatal Accident Investigation Team was called in to take over the investigation. 

The team members, who are part of the Police Department's Traffic Bureau, investigate serious and fatal collisions and have training in techniques related to collisions, such as diagramming and reconstruction.

Kusmiss said it is too early to determine the primary collision factor, which would be assigned to either the skateboarder or the driver, and which, in most cases, attributes fault to one of the involved parties.

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