Boise State 2011 Commit Emil Smith Dies in Head-On Car Crash

A crash just after midnight Sunday claimed the lives of two Perris, CA men, one a Rancho Verde High School football star.

Dimitri Garcia, 22, and Emil Smith, 18, died from injuries suffered in the crash on Domenigoni Parkway in Hemet, authorities said.

Smith was a defensive lineman at Rancho Verde. He had recently committed to play football at Boise State University.

"We heard the sad news this morning about Emil Smith. Coach (Chris) Petersen and his staff are definitely saddened by the passing of this young man," Max Corbet, a spokesman for the university's athletic department told the Idaho Statesman.

Witnesses said Garcia, the driver, lost control of a yellow Dodge Neon then hit the dirt median and spun into oncoming traffic.

A minivan headed east couldn't avoid the Dodge, slamming into the driver's side of the car, Hemet police said in a news release.

Witnesses pulled Smith, the passenger in the Dodge, out of the car and used an ice chest to put out a fire in the car, police said.

Smith was taken away by ambulance and died later at Menifee Valley Medical Center.

Garcia had to be extricated by emergency crews and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the minivan, Hector Bonilla, 38, of Hemet, and his son, who police did not name, were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Police are investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.