OXNARD : Suspected Drunk Driver Injures 3

A suspected drunken driver lost control of his car and slammed into a father and two of his children standing in the parking area of a south Oxnard housing project Wednesday, critically injuring a 6-year-old girl, authorities said.

The driver, whose identity was not immediately known, was apparently attacked by angry neighbors when he attempted to flee the scene, said Oxnard Police Officer Randey Cole.

The man will be charged with hit-and-run and drunken driving, both felonies, he said.

Young Sylvia Serratos was transported to St. John’s Regional Medical Center with a major head injury. She was later transferred to Ventura County Medical Center, where she was to undergo surgery, a St. John’s spokeswoman said.

Her father, Adrian Serratos, received broken bones in his right leg and had numerous scrapes, said Oxnard Fire Capt. Jim Burke. Serratos, 43, was in serious condition at St. John’s, the spokeswoman said.

Juan Serratos, 20, received minor injuries, she said.

The accident occurred at 4:39 p.m. in the Squires Road public housing project managed by the Oxnard Housing Authority.

As the driver headed south on Squires, he veered to the right and struck Adrian Serratos and his daughter, who were standing near the family’s car in a parking area, Cole said.

The driver then backed up his car, spun around out of control and backed over a tree on the parkway, he said. The car came to rest with the tree roots lodged in the engine compartment, Cole said.

“The man then attempted to solicit help to get the car off the tree, and then tried to flee,” Cole said. “That’s when he was apparently attacked by neighbors and friends of the family.”

When police arrived, a crowd of several hundred had gathered around the accident scene, he said. The driver was taken to the hospital for injuries suffered in the attack, Cole said.

Adrian Serratos is an agricultural fieldworker and the father of eight children, said Mirabele Serratos, a daughter.