Son of Nordhoff High Assistant Principal Hurt in Car Crash

On Monday, the seniors at Nordhoff High left school honking their horns and cheering, a celebration of the last week of classes.

But they left in silence Tuesday as news sank in that 19-year-old Samuel Arce, an alumnus and son of Assistant Principal Susana Arce, had been seriously injured in a car accident.

Arce’s car fell 100 feet down an embankment on California 150 on Monday. Although listed in stable condition, Arce is expected to be paralyzed from the waist down, said his mother.

Known to friends and former teachers as industrious, outgoing and gentle, Arce graduated from Nordhoff High last spring.

“He’s always positive and happy, an all-around nice guy,” said Torey Rubrecht, a Nordhoff senior who works with Arce at the Ranch House restaurant.

Arce crashed near the Dennison Grade between Ojai and Santa Paula about 8 p.m. after he left home, his mother said. The Acura Legend he was driving landed on its roof, trapping the young man inside.

“There’s been lots and lots of accidents on that grade. I’ve lived in Ojai all my life,” Arce’s mother said. “We’re lucky he’s alive.”

She said authorities had found no indication that alcohol or drugs were involved.

Dulanie Ellis-La Barre, who witnessed the accident, said Sam Arce “never made the curve. He just went straight off and out into space.”

She flagged down another motorist to call for help and then crawled down the embankment to Arce’s car.

“He was very scared,” Ellis-La Barre said. “He was thinking he might die. I just stayed reassuring.

“It’s amazing he’s alive,” she added. “I said to him ‘Clearly you have an angel on your shoulder.’ ”

California Highway Patrol officers have been unable to determine the cause of the accident.

“We don’t know why he went off the road. We know how but we don’t know why,” Officer Dave Cockrill said.

At the campus of Ojai’s only public high school, the accident cast a pall over the last week of classes.

“It wasn’t a typical start of finals,” said Mark Capritto, dean of students. “This news spread quickly and people left with a whole different feeling.”

Friends of Arce’s said he is energetic and full of life.

“It’s kind of shocking because it’s so contrary to who he is,” senior Yasania Anderson said. “The first thing I wanted to do was go tell him that I support him.”

Faculty members were equally saddened.

“We’re hoping this all turns out,” Principal Jack Smith said. “It’s really a tragic situation.”

In high school, Arce was a good student who excelled in hands-on activities, such as computer-assisted design and auto repair, educators said.

“Everything he did, he seemed to put a lot of energy into,” said Capritto, who taught Arce’s auto repair class. Colleagues expressed concern not only for Arce, but for his mother. Always active in the school and community, she was supposed to host the annual end-of-the-year party Thursday, which has now been moved to Smith’s house.

“She has been a friend since the day I got here,” said Rick Mohney, who has taught at Nordhoff High School for 19 years. “She’s one of the biggest advocates of this school and an incredible resource in this community.”

Mohney said he wasn’t surprised when the assistant principal spent half an hour at work Tuesday morning to tie up loose ends before going back to the hospital.

Her son’s work ethic seems to reflect his mother’s. Besides his job at the Ranch House, he works at the Hilton in Oxnard while attending classes at Santa Barbara City College.

“He’s a tremendous worker, and at times held two and three jobs,” Capritto said. “He’s a really active kid who’s always on the go, in a good sense.”

Arce is expected to undergo surgery today to stabilize his spine but doctors told Arce’s mother that there is 99% chance that he will be paralyzed from the waist down.

“He’s doing the best he possibly can,” Susana Arce said. “He has a very determined nature, a real strong will.”

As visitors stopped by the hospital throughout the day Tuesday, Sam Arce was talkative.

“He’s very positive right now,” his mother said. “I think he recognizes that he’s fortunate to be alive.”