Volleyball standout seriously injured in Newbury Park crash

A community that takes deep pride in its athletes is holding its collective breath for one of its own. Kaya Terry — a 16-year-old Newbury Park High School student, varsity volleyball player, and newly minted AAU All-American — was struck by a pickup truck late on the night of July 5 while standing on the shoulder of Potrero Road. She suffered severe injuries. As of Wednesday evening, July 9, she remained under medical care, according to the Thousand Oaks Acorn, which first reported the story.

What Happened on Potrero Road

Just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, California Highway Patrol officers from the Moorpark Area office responded to reports of a vehicle-versus-pedestrian crash on Potrero Road west of Wendy Drive. What they found was a 16-year-old girl unconscious on a dirt shoulder, having been struck by a 2016 Toyota Tacoma, the Acorn reported.

According to the CHP's account, the sequence of events involved multiple vehicles. A 17-year-old driver was traveling eastbound on Potrero Road when the driver of a 2022 Audi ahead of the truck slowed to a stop in the roadway to drop off a passenger at a vehicle parked in a dirt turnout. As the Tacoma driver approached the stopped Audi, the truck's driver steered onto the right shoulder — where Terry was walking toward her own vehicle in that same turnout. The truck struck her there.

The Tacoma driver stayed at the scene and was not injured, authorities said. Investigators said alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been factors. The CHP said investigators do not know how fast the truck was traveling at the time, and no arrests had been made as of the Acorn's reporting. The investigation remains ongoing.

Terry was initially transported to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks before being transferred to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, one of the region's leading pediatric trauma centers, the CHP told the Acorn.

An Athlete at the Peak of Her Game

The timing of the crash has compounded the heartbreak felt across the Newbury Park community. Just one week before the collision, Terry had been named an AAU All-American — an honorary title recognizing exceptional amateur athletes for their accomplishments both on and off the court — the Acorn reported.

Terry is listed as a player with Reef Volleyball Club, the Ventura County-based club that, according to its own website, has operated for 25 years and describes itself as "the longest-running volleyball club in Ventura County." The club trains players for competition at the highest levels of Southern California volleyball and national tournaments.

In an Instagram post after the crash, Reef Volleyball Club spoke directly to what Terry means to those around her. "Kaya is an incredible athlete and teammate," the club wrote, adding that "her kindness, strength and positive spirit have touched so many people."

On the high school side, MaxPreps records confirm Terry's athletic profile at Newbury Park High School. The Panthers' girls volleyball program has been one of the more competitive squads in the Marmonte League, reaching the 2025 CIF Southern Section Girls Volleyball Championship, according to MaxPreps.

A Community Rallies — and Confronts a Rumor

In the hours and days after the crash, friends, teammates, and neighbors flooded social media with prayers and words of encouragement. But alongside the outpouring of support came something more troubling: a false obituary began circulating online, suggesting Terry had died from her injuries.

She had not. CHP Officer Ryan Ayers told the Acorn on Thursday, July 9, that he did not know where the inaccurate information originated and that he had attempted to contact those responsible for the post. Ayers confirmed that as of Wednesday night, Terry remained alive and under medical care.

The episode underscores the particular cruelty that misinformation can inflict on families and communities already managing a crisis. For Terry's loved ones, the false report added a layer of anguish to an already devastating week.

A Stretch of Road Worth a Closer Look

Potrero Road is a familiar corridor for Newbury Park residents — a two-lane route that winds through the semi-rural western edge of the community and connects neighborhoods to open space and beyond. But the stretch near Wendy Drive where Terry was struck is typical of roads that lack formal pedestrian infrastructure: dirt shoulders, informal pullouts, and traffic moving through the darkness with little margin for error.

The scenario the CHP described — a car stopping suddenly in the travel lane to drop off a passenger, a following vehicle swerving onto the shoulder, and a pedestrian caught in that narrow gap — is a reminder of how quickly a routine late-night errand can turn catastrophic on roads not designed with people on foot in mind. No crosswalks, no lighting, no sidewalk: just a dirt turnout and the good faith that cars will stay on the pavement.

What Comes Next

As of this writing, the CHP investigation into the July 5 crash is ongoing. No arrests have been made, and no determination has been announced regarding potential charges or citations against the Tacoma's driver. The Acorn reported that authorities had not yet established how fast the truck was traveling at the moment of impact — a detail that may be significant as investigators weigh what, if any, action to take.

For now, the Newbury Park community is focused on something more immediate: willing Kaya Terry back to health. A teenager who earned a national honor for excellence in her sport just days before her life changed in an instant, she is, as her club put it, someone whose spirit has already touched far more people than most adults twice her age can claim.

Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to contact the CHP's Moorpark Area office.