Accidents Claim Three Lives on Ventura County Roads : Safety: Authorities say drunken drivers caused two of the fatalities last week. This year’s traffic death rate is running far ahead of that of 1991.

Three people died in traffic accidents on Ventura County roads last week and during the weekend, one of them a Santa Monica woman whose car was not found until Saturday evening, the California Highway Patrol reported Sunday.

The fatalities, two of which were allegedly caused by drunken drivers, bring to 57 the number of people killed in traffic accidents in the county this year, said Deputy Coroner Craig L. Stevens. That compares with 41 at the same time last year.

Jill Pauline Fisher, 55, of Santa Monica, who was driving north toward Fillmore Thursday afternoon, died after she failed to negotiate a curve about half a mile north of the summit of Grimes Canyon Road, authorities said.

Her 1977 Mercedes rolled down a 200-foot embankment and landed on its roof. Fisher, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown through the windshield. Her body was found about 100 feet from the vehicle, the CHP said.

A missing-person report was filed on Fisher by a neighbor on Friday, authorities said. CHP Sgt. Don Hatch said the car was spotted about 7 p.m. Saturday by two men looking for old car parts along the road.

Stevens said it was believed that Fisher was in the antiques business in Santa Monica and that she was headed for Santa Barbara.

The second fatality occurred at 9:40 p.m. Saturday on the Ventura Freeway south of Del Norte Boulevard in Oxnard.

Anthony Patrick Moya, 21, of Simi Valley, and two passengers, all wearing seat belts, were driving north in the fast lane when a southbound 1981 Buick, driven by Nasario Palacios, 31, of Oxnard, veered onto the center divider and became airborne, the CHP said. The Buick slammed into the Volkswagen’s left door, partly ejecting the driver and forcing the victim’s car across the freeway and onto the shoulder.

Moya died at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, the coroner’s office said. Passengers Scott Freeman, 20, of the San Fernando Valley community of West Hills, and Heather Dale, 23, of Reseda, were treated at St. John’s for minor injuries.

Palacios was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and vehicular manslaughter, the CHP said. He was treated at St. John’s.

The third fatality occurred at 2 a.m. Sunday on the Simi Valley Freeway west of Tapo Canyon Road in Simi Valley. The victim was Silvia L. Ordonez, 29, of Van Nuys, a recent immigrant from Honduras, authorities said.

The driver, Jaime Nunez, 26, of North Hollywood, lost control of his Honda Civic, causing it to roll over, the CHP said. Nunez appeared to be driving under the influence of alcohol and fled the scene. He was still at large on Sunday, Hatch said.

Four other passengers in the car were treated at Simi Valley Hospital for moderate and minor injuries.

A record low number of traffic fatalities--70--occurred in Ventura County last year, according to the county coroner. That was nine fewer than in 1990.

The record high number of traffic fatalities in Ventura County was 127 in 1976, the coroner reported.