Marin County Sheriff's Deputy Killed In Highway 1 Crash

MARIN COUNTY, CA – A sheriff's deputy was killed in a crash early Thursday in Marin County.

Ryan Zirkle, 24, of Petaluma, was responding to a 911 call shortly after midnight when he lost control of his vehicle on state Route 1, just north of Point Reyes Station, according to the California Highway Patrol.

"Our preliminary investigation indicates the deputy was responding to a 911 call when he lost control of his vehicle as he entered a left curve in the roadway," said Officer Andrew Barclay, spokesman for the CHP's Marin office. "The vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway and the driver side collided with a tree."

Emergency personnel from the CHP, Marin County Sheriff's Office and Marin County Fire responded to the scene and closed the highway. It took fire crews 35 minutes to extract Zirkle from the vehicle, Marin Sheriff Robert Doyle said.

Zirkle was airlifted to Petaluma Valley Hospital. He died shortly after arriving at the hospital, Barclay said.

In honor of Zirkle, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered Capitol flags be flown at half-staff.

"Anne and I join all Californians in mourning the loss of Deputy Zirkle and we extend our deep condolences to his family and friends," Brown said in a statement.

Zirkle served as a deputy with the Marin County Sheriff's Office for two and a half years. Friends and colleagues described him as "always happy" and "always having a smile on his face," according to Doyle.

"He wanted to serve his community that he grew up in," Doyle said.

Zirkle grew up in Novato, graduated from San Marin High School and later graduated from Sacramento State University. He recently purchased a house with his fiancée in Petaluma.

Chris Glennon, a lifelong friend of the fallen deputy, grew up a block away from Zirkle.

"I'm an only child, but he'll always be the closest thing I have to a brother," Glennon said. "I would have been lost without him growing up. He's family."

Glennon, who works in a finance position for Adobe Systems and lives in Mountain View, said the last conversation he had with Zirkle was to plan their 25th birthday parties. They were born less than two weeks apart.

Zirkle would have been 25 in 11 days.

"He's been my best friend for 20 years, and it's just not fair this happened to him," Glennon said. "He always made the community around him ... a happier place."

Zirkle is survived by his fiancée, mother, father and two older brothers.

"This is a tough time," Doyle said. "This is a tough time for all of us. We're grieving."

The conditions were clear, but the roadway was wet at the time of the crash, Doyle said. The crash remains under investigation.

Photo via Marin County Sheriff's Office