Friends raise thousands for Ventura High student who died after being hit by a truck

VENTURA, Calif. - A Ventura High School student tragically passed away on Friday after being hit by a pickup truck that struck him while he was running along the sidewalk.

The incident happened Wednesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. Sophomore Austin Gambill, who was a runner with the Ventura High School Cross Country Track Team, was running along the sidewalks of Seaward Avenue north of Alessandro Drive in Ventura when a truck drove onto the curb and struck him.

Ventura police said Austin sustained critical injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Sadly, Austin died from his wounds on Friday.

"He was deeply respected and loved by his classmates, coaches and staff. Our thoughts will be with the family in the difficult days ahead and our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends," the Ventura Unified School District said in a post about Austin on Saturday.

The Simi Valley Police Department also made a post dedicated to Austin where they mentioned that he was a member of the Ventura County Sheriff's Explorers Program.

Ventura police shared that the driver of the truck was cooperating with them and they are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Austin's teammates and friends set up a GoFundMe page in his honor. The page has currently raised $48,880 of their $50,000 goal. If you would like to donate, you can visit the page here.

"Austin is the most compassionate, the most dedicated and hard working, the most focused and driven person I know," said Austin's father in the latest update on the fundraising page.

Austin's family is still deciding when they will have a memorial service.