1 Killed, 3 Injured as Truck Overturns, Burns

A large truck flipped, burst into flames and rolled into a pickup truck on a freeway off-ramp in Thousand Oaks, killing the larger truck’s driver and injuring three others, the Ventura County Fire Department reported Wednesday.

A 20-year-old man was in critical condition at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital with third-degree burns over more than 70% of his body after the 6 p.m. accident, authorities said. A paramedic who happened to be near the scene saw the man running with his clothes afire and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, Ventura County Fire Department dispatcher Liz Pickles said.

It was not known if the man was in one of the trucks, another vehicle, or was walking in the area of the accident, which took place on the Moorpark Road exit from the westbound Ventura Freeway, Pickles said.

A 34-year-old man was taken to Westlake Medical Center with extensive leg and head injuries after being trapped in the pickup, which was crushed by the larger truck.

An 8-year-old girl who was also in the pickup escaped through a window and was treated at the hospital for first-degree burns and minor injuries, Pickles said.

The name and age of the driver of the larger truck were not immediately available.