POINT MUGU : 1 Killed, 1 Hurt in Crash Into Ocean

One man died and another was injured Thursday night when their car went out of control on Pacific Coast Highway near Mugu Rock and plunged 150 feet off a steep embankment and into the ocean, officials said.

The two-door car was headed north on Pacific Coast Highway at about 65 m.p.h. when the driver attempted to pass another car, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Dave Price said.

Moving back to the right, the driver lost control, hit the side of the mountain and the car spun back across the highway toward the ocean, Price said.

The car crossed the eight-foot gravel shoulder and hurtled down the embankment, landing upside-down in the ocean, Price said. That section of Pacific Coast Highway has no guardrail.

Witnesses said the driver, identified as a 24-year-old Isla Vista man, managed to climb out of the car. He was taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard where he was listed in stable condition, a hospital official said.

The other man was pronounced dead when rescue workers reached the car. His name was not released.

The CHP closed southbound lanes of the highway for about an hour as a tow truck pulled the car from the surf.

One witness, who arrived at the scene about 8 p.m., just after the car went over the side, said he was amazed that one man survived.

“It was a hell of an accident,” said Jose Reynoeso, 36, of Los Angeles. “When I pulled over I looked down and saw the car had flipped over. It was awful.”