OXNARD : Motorist Charged in Fatal Accident

A 41-year-old Oxnard man has been arrested on felony drunk driving charges after he slammed his pickup truck into a disabled vehicle and killed a 24-year-old Ventura man, authorities said.

The accident occurred about 7:50 p.m. Wednesday on Vineyard Avenue north of Simon Way while Amanpreet Singh was pushing his Mitsubishi pickup truck in a southbound lane, the California Highway Patrol said.

Manuel Garcia was driving south on Vineyard at high speed when he struck Singh’s pickup truck from behind, the CHP said. The impact killed Singh instantly and threw his body 120 feet.

Garcia’s pickup truck then spun into the northbound lanes and stopped. While Garcia was standing in the middle of the roadway, his pickup truck was struck by a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Matthew Paul Klasen of Fillmore. Klasen suffered minor injuries but was not taken to the hospital.

Garcia suffered minor injuries and was treated at St. John’s Regional Medical Center and released into police custody. He was being held Thursday in Ventura County Jail on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. His bail was set at $10,000.

Singh was driving to his job at a convenience store on Wooley Road in Oxnard when he was killed, said Deputy Coroner Zelmira Isaac.

A CHP spokesman said the agency is looking for witnesses to the accident to corroborate information gathered from physical evidence at the scene.

CHP Officer Chris Day said he believes two youths between the ages of 13 and 15 may have seen the accident. People with information should call Day at 654-4571.