Poway

2 Killed in Crash Near Poway High School

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Two people died in a car crash Friday night in front of Poway High School, the sheriff's department confirmed.

A father and his teenage son were killed in the crash Friday night as they were leaving baseball practice.

Two vehicles collided along the 1500 block of Espola Road at around 7 p.m., according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators say a Mercedes was heading southbound on Espola and broadsided a Toyota as it pulled out of the high school's parking lot.

The driver of the Toyota, a 54-year-old Steve Pirolli, was killed in the crash.

His 14-year-old son who was a passenger in the car was taken to Rady Children's Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to deputies.

“It’s hard to know that they're not going to be around anymore,” said Tom Pirolli, Steve’s older brother. He says Steve and his son were inseparable.

“They were just incredibly close. they went everywhere together, they did everything together. they would come over pretty frequently and I would almost never see one without the other,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Poway Unified School District told NBC 7 the teenager was a student at their district.

“We are deeply saddened by the news that one of our students has passed away. We know this will deeply impact many friends, classmates, and staff who knew the student. We will have a team of counselors available to support any students and staff who have been affected by this loss. We will be reaching out to the family to express our deepest condolences and how our community might support them during this difficult time.”

The driver of the Mercedes was also hospitalized and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Northbound Espola Road was closed at Eden Grove, deputies said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support the Pirolli family.

Check back for details on this developing story.

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