OXNARD : 2 Drivers Held After 3-Car Crash Hurts 13

Two Oxnard men driving separate vehicles were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after they were involved in a three-vehicle accident involving 13 people, police said Monday.

Eddie Granados, 33, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and released after posting $2,500 bail, said Officer Lisa Ragone of the Oxnard Police Department. Javier Castro, 35, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving and released on his own recognizance, Ragone said.

The accident occurred Sunday at 5:38 p.m. when Granados, driving west in a 1985 GMC Jimmy with nine passengers, tried to make a left turn from Wooley Road to Escalon Drive without yielding to oncoming traffic, Ragone said.

Granados’ vehicle was struck by a Chevrolet pickup driven by Castro, who was driving east through the intersection on Wooley Road, Ragone said. The force of the impact pushed the Jimmy into a Datsun pickup driven by Peletisala Tau, 34, of Oxnard.

Tau’s car, which had been stopped at a stop sign on Escalon Drive, spun around and crashed into a brick wall, Ragone said. Granados’ vehicle also hit the wall and struck a light pole before coming to rest, she said.

During the accident, Granados’ wife, Estella, 34, hit her head on the windshield, Ragone said. The couple’s 1-year-old daughter, Casandra, was crushed between her mother and the dashboard, Ragone said.

The three Granados family members, all riding in the front seat of the Jimmy, were extracted using rescue tools and taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center, Ragone said.

Eddie Granados was treated and arrested. Estella Granados was listed Monday in critical condition in the intensive care unit, and Casandra Granados remained in serious condition in the intensive care unit, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The seven people riding in the back of the Jimmy were taken to St. John’s, treated and released, as was one passenger in Castro’s truck, Ragone said. Castro was treated at the hospital and arrested, Ragone said.

Tau was admitted to the hospital and listed in good condition Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.