Youth baseball coach killed when truck rolls into San Luis Reservoir in Merced County

A 47-year-old Castroville man died Friday when the vehicle he was driving overturned into the San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos, according to the California Highway Patrol.

He was identified Friday by the Merced County Coroner’s Office as Tom Gugale of Castroville.

Gugale was driving a 1992 GMC pickup truck east on Highway 152 with three teenaged passengers about 8 a.m., CHP reported.

Officers said Gugale was a youth baseball coach, and they believe he was taking three boys to a game, CHP said. The truck was full of baseball equipment.

According to his online social media profile, Gugale had connections with the Monterey Bay Baseball, a “youth travel baseball organization” and the Aldrete Baseball Academy. Multiple people also connected to the youth baseball academy confirmed they were aware of the crash, but declined to comment Friday.

The truck was east of the Cottonwood Recreation Area on a stretch referred to as Rock Bridge, CHP said, when for an unknown reasons, the driver allowed the GMC to travel south off of the roadway.

The truck crashed through a chain-link fence before overturning into the reservoir, CHP said. It’s unclear if Gugale died from injuries during the crash or by drowning.

Officers did not immediately know where the group was headed on Friday.

Passers-by and an officer jumped into the waterway to help the passengers, CHP reported.

A 17-year-old Salinas boy sustained major injuries and was taken to a local hospital, according to CHP. The other two passengers, 18-year-old Isaiah Bueno and a 16-year-old, both from Hollister, suffered minor injuries.

All four people were wearing seat belts, officers said, and alcohol is not believed to be a factor.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Youth baseball coach killed when truck rolls into San Luis Reservoir in Merced County."