Ex-Hart Athlete Dies in Crash

The California Highway Patrol expects to complete its investigation today of a car accident Monday on Highway 20 near Clearlake that killed former Hart High girls’ basketball player Emily Roberts and injured three other former Hart athletes.

The investigation is focusing on whether Jason Semelsberger, a former Hart golfer who now plays at UCLA, caused the accident with horseplay from the passenger seat.

Amir Parvinchiha, a top boys’ basketball player for Hart in 1996, and Mary Cunnan, a former Indian girls’ basketball player, were the others involved.

CHP investigators will make a recommendation to the Lake County District Attorney’s office, which then will decide whether to prosecute Semelsberger.

“A big part of the decision is whether or not there is any criminal intent,” CHP Officer Larry Caravario said. “The statement from the driver [Parvinchiha] and the other passenger [Cunnan] indicate they thought clowning around was the cause of the accident.

“And Semelsberger’s statement also indicates that he had undone his seat belt and somehow fallen into the driver’s lap.”

Semelsberger could not be reached for comment.

Caravario said the 1997 Mitsubishi Montero swerved off the right side of the road and Parvinchiha overcorrected the turn, causing the vehicle to roll over.

The accident occurred along a straight stretch of Highway 20 in Clearlake, located about 60 miles northwest of Sacramento. The four friends were returning to the Santa Clarita Valley after attending the wedding of a mutual friend.

“We don’t get a lot of accidents around there,” Caravario said. “We’re also investigating some skid marks and trying to determine if excess speed was a factor.”

Roberts, 20, was ejected from the vehicle and crushed. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Parvinchiha, 20, was the only one in the car wearing a seat belt, according to the accident report. He suffered minor injuries, as did Cunnan, 20.

Semelsberger, 20, who played in the 1997 U.S. Open as an amateur, was reported to have moderate injuries. All three were treated at a hospital and released.

Authorities are checking whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident, but Caravario said that seems unlikely.

“The driver requested a blood test, so that has been sent in,” Caravario said.

The funeral for Roberts is today at noon at St. Stephens’s Episcopal Church in Valencia.

In lieu of flowers, the Roberts family has requested donations to the Emily Roberts memorial scholarship fund at Hart High or to the Mental Health Assn. of Los Angeles County.