SANTA MONICA—On Sunday, March 27, Thuy Tran, 17, a senior at Bravo Medical Magnet High School died during a volunteer beach cleanup in Santa Monica. According to KTLA, the incident occurred on the 1500 block of Ocean Front Walk. The coroner’s office stated that the cause of death was drowning.
On Saturday, March 26 at 12:38 p.m. a rescue call came for the Los Angeles County Lifeguards. Several people were assisted out of the water when it was discovered that Tran was missing and possibly submerged. A search team including rescue boats and LA County helicopters looked for her. She was found an hour later and taken to UCLA Medical Center where she died at 8:11 a.m. on Sunday.
According to an Instagram post by the Eagle Rock High Head Coach, Vinnie Brascia, Tran was valedictorian and had been accepted to Stanford. Brascia proposed to Coach Russell that the teams wear a maroon ribbon or athletic tape over their left shoulder for the rest of the season, and that there should be a moment of silence for Tran at the league finals.
Superintendent Michelle King of the Los Angeles Unified School District gave a statement that the LA Unified family is deeply saddened by the accidental drowning. King states that even though the beach cleanup was a volunteer activity and not a school-sponsored activity, the tragedy is still a loss for all of the LA Unified community.
The statement adds that district crisis counselors and school counselors will be available to provide emotional support to both students and staff.
