SANTA PAULA : 2 Remain in Critical Condition After Crash
Two women remained hospitalized in critical condition Monday after a car accident on the Santa Paula Freeway that injured five people and killed an unborn child.
Nidia Chavez, 17, of Los Angeles and Connie Holt, 40, of Burbank were in critical condition Monday at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, a nursing supervisor said.
The fiery accident occurred about 3:45 p.m. Sunday when a car driven by Francisco Herrera, 20, of Los Angeles lost power as he drove east on the Santa Paula Freeway near Hallock Drive. As the car slowed down in the fast lane, a car driven by Dennis White, 53, of Palmdale slammed into Herrera’s vehicle from behind, a CHP spokesman said.
The force of the impact caused Herrera’s car to flip upside down and land on the median strip, where it burst into flames.
Herrera managed to escape with minor injuries, but passengers Willivaldo Cruz, 20, and Chavez, who was seven months pregnant, were seriously injured. Emergency medical staff were unable to save Chavez’s unborn child.
White and his passenger, Holt, also suffered injuries. White and Cruz were both released after treatment at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital.
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