2 Men Killed in Car Crash Are Identified

Two men killed when a pickup truck plunged down a mountainside were identified Saturday as migrant farm workers living in Santa Paula.

The victims were Jose Jesus Garcia, 23, and Jose Luis Estrada Serrano, 37, the California Highway Patrol said. They were killed Friday evening when the 1978 Dodge pickup driven by Garcia missed a curve on Balcom Canyon Road and rolled 300 feet down a steep slope, flipping over several times, the CHP said.

Autopsies determined that Garcia died of multiple traumatic injuries and Serrano’s heart was ruptured, Deputy Coroner Craig Stevens said.

Two other passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred at 5:40 p.m. about a mile north of Bradley Road. Ramiro Chavez, 43, of Santa Paula, was in serious condition at Pleasant Valley Hospital with multiple injuries, while 22-year-old Jonas Estrada Aguilar, also of Santa Paula, was treated at Ventura County Medical Center for a dislocated shoulder.

All four men were thrown from the truck as it tumbled down the slope and broke into four pieces, investigators said. The truck’s cab landed upside down, while the engine and front suspension continued downhill, Stevens said. None of the men was wearing a seat belt, he said.

Rescuers had to rappel down the slope to reach the victims, Stevens said. Garcia was already dead, while Serrano died shortly after help arrived, the deputy coroner said.

Several empty beer cans were found at the scene, Stevens said, and toxicology tests will be conducted.