5 Injured in 3 Traffic Accidents

Five people were injured in three separate traffic accidents in western Ventura County on Wednesday as their vehicles careened off winding mountain and beachfront highways.

At 2:30 p.m. on California 150, west of Lake Casitas, a passing motorist observed a man who had crawled about 100 feet up an embankment alongside the winding highway, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol officials said the accident apparently occurred about 5 a.m. but was not discovered until the afternoon.

The injured driver, whose identity was not released, was transported to Ojai Valley Hospital where he was reported in fair condition Wednesday night. He suffered numbness in one leg and possible back injuries, a nursing supervisor said.

Also on California 150 late Wednesday afternoon, a mother and her two children suffered moderate injuries when their car careened off Dennison Grade and landed about 15 feet down an embankment, fire officials said.

In the third accident, a 37-year-old Newbury Park man suffered multiple lacerations and a broken leg when his car went over the side of the Pacific Coast Highway south of Deer Creek Road and landed in rocks along the shore, the CHP said.

The southbound lane of the highway was closed for nearly three hours after the 4:20 p.m. accident, limiting traffic to one lane along the beach route.