Serra High School senior Blake Bottarini killed in crash on Highway 35 in unincorporated San Mateo County

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- A 17-year-old boy died in a crash on Monday after driving off the road on state Highway 35 and striking a tree in unincorporated San Mateo County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Blake Bottarini, 17, of Redwood City, had left La Honda early in the morning and was on his way to Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, according to the CHP.

Bottarini was a senior at Serra High, according to the school's administrators, who said in a letter on social media that he will be remembered as a "kind and caring young man."

Administrators asked the school community to pray for his mother, father and twin brother.

Bottarini was driving his Toyota Tacoma truck north on Highway 35, also known as Skyline Boulevard, when he veered off the east side of the road and hit a tree, according to the CHP.

The truck then fell about 45 feet down an embankment and came to rest on its side.

A San Mateo County sheriff's deputy found the truck, which wasn't visible from the road, and reported the crash to the CHP at about 12:50 p.m. Bottarini was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.

Officers said the investigation is ongoing but it doesn't appear drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.