Local youth dies in accident in Merced
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

A young Moorpark man was apparently the victim of a "oneinamillion" fatal trip-and-fall accident last weekend.

Moorpark High School graduate Hector BarreraBarraza, a freshman at UC Merced, was found unconscious outside a dormitory on Sat., March 17 at about 10 a.m., according to Steve Kang, chancellor of the university north of Fresno.

Campus police were immediately alerted and an ambulance took the victim to Mercy Hospital in Merced. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, said Kang in an online message to students.

Preliminary autopsy results on Tuesday indicated that BarreraBarraza died as the result of a fall, not from foul play. It also appears that he died where he fell, according to the chancellor.

News reports stated that there was a wound on the right side of Barrera-Barraza's head, which matched the shape of a concrete basin beneath a drainage pipe where two students discovered the body.

"This is a very sad time for the community, and we extend our thoughts and prayers to Hector's family and friends," said Kang.

The young man's father, Luis, is CEO at a local company and his mother, Elsa, was a math teacher at the Institute of Mathematics in Mexicali. Barrera-Barraza's brother, Raul, attends UC Davis.

The accident is hard to believe, said Manuela Twitchell, a student counselor at Moorpark High School who knew Barrera-Barraza.

"I can only imagine what his parents must be going through- we're all in shock," she said.

The family came to Moorpark from Mexico when BarreraBarraza was in 10th grade. He attended a private school and was well-prepared academically. Twitchell said Barrera-Barraza was an outstanding student at Moorpark High School, where he took a rigorous course load. His teachers respected and admired him, she said.

"Hector was determined to be successful. He was disciplined and motivated to become an engineer," Twitchell said.

Barrera-Barraza also played soccer and he played guitar with the jazz band. He participated in extracurricular activities and was still able to take demanding classes, the counselor said.

Most importantly, this young man was friendly with everybody and he was respectful.

"He was a breath of fresh air," Twitchell said.

At Merced, Barrera-Barraza was a member of the university's Amnesty International group and the Tag/Hide & Seek Pillow Fight Society, Merced officials said. The university hosted a memorial in his honor on Tuesday.

Reports indicate that perhaps Barrera-Barraza had been drinking before the accident occurred. If that was the case, Twitchell said, it emphasizes the need for support on college campuses because all young people like to experiment.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the university's website.