The family of a Manhattan Beach teenager killed by a speeding driver more than a year ago is pushing for safety improvements on a stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard they say has become a recurring site of deadly crashes — and they fear it could follow the same tragic path as Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu if nothing changes.

Ford Savela, an 18-year-old senior at Mira Costa High School, was riding in the back seat of a car on the night of January 7, 2025, when a driver traveling more than 100 mph slammed into the vehicle near the 300 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard. According to the Daily Breeze, the driver’s own Mercedes Benz data showed the car reached 106 mph in the five seconds before impact and was still traveling at 83 mph when it hit the Subaru carrying Savela and two others. Savela died at a hospital. The other two occupants survived.

The driver, Kameron Lee Peterson, 33, fled the scene on foot after the crash. He turned himself in to Manhattan Beach police about 9:30 a.m. on January 9, 2025. A Torrance Superior Court judge ordered Peterson to stand trial on counts of second-degree murder, hit-and-run driving causing death or serious injury, and reckless driving with injuries.

Savela’s death went largely unnoticed at the time. The crash occurred the same night the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out, dominating news coverage and stretching community resources thin.

James Savela, Ford’s father, said he and his wife are now speaking out because they feel the road has not gotten the attention it deserves. He told NBC4, “We don’t want this to become another situation like Malibu where it takes 54 fatalities before they finally recognize they have a problem with this section of road.”

Ford’s death was not an isolated event on the boulevard. The month before he was killed, another pedestrian was struck and killed on Sepulveda, about half a mile away. Then, in early May 2025, Braun Levi, an 18-year-old Loyola High School student and nationally ranked tennis player, was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while crossing Sepulveda — just two blocks from where Savela died. According to the Easy Reader, police arrested Jenia Belt, a 33-year-old Los Angeles resident, who was allegedly driving with a suspended license at the time due to a prior DUI.

Three pedestrian deaths on the same stretch of road in roughly five months prompted a response from the Manhattan Beach City Council. Mayor Amy Howorth addressed the issue directly, saying the city had received “many, many, many valid concerns” about safety on Sepulveda, and that both the city and its traffic engineer were “urgently reaching out to Caltrans” to push for changes. She also said the city was working with State Senator Ben Allen to pressure the state transportation agency to act quickly.

Sepulveda Boulevard in that corridor is a state-controlled road under Caltrans jurisdiction, which has complicated the city’s ability to make swift changes. Residents who spoke at the council meeting called for speed limit reductions, flashing lights, DUI enforcement patrols, driver education programs, and even the installation of barriers or an overpass.

Ford’s mother, Ashley Savela, remembered her son as someone who lit up every room. “He truly led with his heart every day,” she said. “He cared deeply about how he made people feel. He wanted everyone to feel included. He was truly a light. He was really, really smart, super witty, adventurous.”

Months after his death, college acceptance letters continued to arrive. Ford had been accepted to his dream school, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he had hoped to become a science teacher or park ranger. A memorial remains at the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and 3rd Street, though many passersby are still unaware of what happened there.

Peterson’s murder trial is ongoing.