Shane Family Documentary Seeks Solutions for PCH Safety

It has been a year since a jury found a man guilty in the death of Malibu teenager Emily Shane, who was struck by a driver on the side of Pacific Coast Highway. For her father, Michel Shane, that year has meant healing, reflection and an increasing desire to bring change to PCH.

And now it means action. Shane launched a campaign on Kickstarter this week aimed at raising $35,000 to make a documentary about the dangerous highway. The campaign for the film, called "PCH: Probably. Cause. Harm.," will last 30 days.

"My idea is we tell the story of PCH, of the problems, the deaths, the people that have been affected with it and then we will go interview people and try to find solutions," Shane said.

Shane's wife, Ellen, turned her grief into action by starting the Emily Shane Foundation and Successful Educational Achievement, a program that provides free one-on-one mentoring to middle school students at schools. Once the film is released, half the proceeds will go to the Emily Shane Foundation. The other part will go to the filmmakers, which include director Paola Cutri. 

"Perhaps the film can instigate some kind of discussion on how to create change in the infrastructure of the road in the future," Cutri said. "Right now the infrastructure of the road is antiquated in Malibu. It's very old. It could be potentially re-thought and re-planned."

World renowned concert pianist Marcelo Cesena, who created a song for Emily, will provide the music for the documentary, which is among a growing trend of films in the "change genre" that are focused on activism.

Mainly, the film is a continuation of the healing process for Shane, he said.

"This is an exorcism of my soul," Shane said.

His daughter, Emily, was struck and killed in April 2010 by a suicidal driver, who was convicted of second-degree murder. Sina Khankhanian remains behind bars serving 15 years to life in prison.

The city of Malibu, which is in the midst of a safety study on PCH, renamed Heathercliff Road as Emily Shane Way in her honor. 

Since Emily's death, others have been struck and killed on PCH, including triathlete Marisela Echeverria and tow truck driver Ronald Carver, among others. Shane said he hopes the documentary will raise awareness and effect change so that no more families have to grieve. 

"Maybe I can save one parent from going through with what I went through," Shane said. "That alone would be worth every dime."

Shane said the Malibu community supported him following Emily's death and through the trial. If the Kickstarter campaign is successful, work can begin on the film.

"This is our present back to the community," Shane said. "Let's find a solution so no parent has to go through what I went through."

Visit the Kickstarter campaign website at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1253740183/pch-probably-cause-harm.