COUNTYWIDE : Alcohol Blamed for 2 Injury Accidents

Three men were seriously injured Saturday in two traffic accidents that investigators blamed on drunk driving.

In the first mishap, a motorcyclist was hurt shortly after midnight when he ran off a road and struck a mountainside in Los Padres National Forest, the California Highway Patrol said.

Gary Stock, 30, of Port Hueneme was heading north on California 33 about a mile north of Rose Valley when he lost control of his motorcycle, the CHP said. The motorcycle struck boulders and the side of a mountain, and Stock suffered major injuries, the CHP said.

A passing driver found Stock and drove him to Ojai Valley Hospital in Ojai. He was listed in stable condition Saturday.

Stock will be arrested on suspicion of drunk driving when he is released from the hospital, the CHP said.

The second accident occurred about 3 a.m. when two cars collided head-on on Rose Avenue south of Gonzales Road, Oxnard police said.

Police said Mauro G. Soto, 20, of Oxnard was heading south on Rose when he missed a curve and crossed into the path of a northbound car driven by Ronald M. Valdivia, 21, also of Oxnard.

Soto was taken to Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo and was listed in guarded condition with multiple fractures. Valdivia was taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, where he was listed in serious condition.

Evidence at the scene indicated that Soto was under the influence of alcohol, investigators said.