UPDATE> A moment of silence to honor Daniel Garcia is planned before the Scotts Valley High varsity football game tonight, Friday, Nov. 12 at Scotts Valley High. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
UPDATE: Daniel Garcia died at Valley Medical Center on Thursday morning, Nov. 11 after Press-Banner press-time. Friends said he had an infection could not be controlled and his temperature spiked to 108 degrees before he passed away.
The Scotts Valley High School community has come together in support of one of their own, longtime custodian Daniel Garcia who crashed his motorcycle near his home in Watsonville on Oct. 29.
Garcia broke his pelvis and some ribs and fractured the front of his skull. On Tuesday, Nov. 9, he was still in a medically induced coma at Valley Medical Center in San Jose; however, when attending physicians took him off the medication for a time, he opened his eyes and squeezed his daughter’s hand.
Garcia is well-known in the Scotts Valley Unified School District, where he has been employed since 1997.
He is the maintenance lead for the district, but he became especially well-liked at the high school because of his work as a do-it-all custodian and as an assistant to the football team. He is also heavily involved with Police Athletic League football in Scotts Valley.
“He’s always been a go-to guy,” Scotts Valley High Principal Valerie Bariteau said. “You’re supposed to say no one person is indispensible. Daniel was one of those. We’re at a bit of a loss without him.”
Garcia was responsible for coordinating maintenance in the district, but he was always around to unlock gates, paint lines on the fields, solve problems and go out of his way to make sure things went smoothly.
“Daniel did so much for our school,” senior student body president Aly Bothman said. “Anytime you need anything, it was ‘Ask Daniel, he knows everything.’”
Garcia’s son, Daniel Jr., attends Scotts Valley High as a junior this year and was absent from school last week. But that has not stopped the student body from rallying around the Garcia family.
“Students have been making cards, and some students made a giant poster that a lot of people signed,” Bothman said.
Still, she was uncertain whether Garcia’s accident would encourage students to think about motorcycle safety.
“It’s still kind of hard to tell,” Bothman said. “I definitely think the students are together on this. We all really appreciate Daniel. But we don’t even know how to react to this.”
Scotts Valley police Sgt. Mark Lopez and SVHS teachers sold T-shirts with Garcia’s face on them at the homecoming football game in a fundraiser to help his family, and students wore them to school this week. Shirts are still available.
Valley Churches United Missions is also accepting donations on Garcia’s behalf. Contributions can be sent to the Daniel Garcia Fund, c/o Valley Churches United Missions, P.O. Box 367, Ben Lomond, CA 95005.
At a glance
What: “T-shirts for Daniel” fundraiser sale
Details: Scotts Valley police Sgt. Mark Lopez is selling T-shirts to raise money to help the family of Daniel Garcia, a Scotts Valley High School custodian injured in a motorcycle crash. Shirts are available at the Scotts Valley High office, 555 Glenwood Drive, or by calling Lopez. More than $4,200 was raised as of November 9.
Cost: $20
Info: 440-5678, ext. 172
