OJAI : Body Found Near Dam Is Identified
An Ojai man who died after his vehicle plunged down a steep embankment near Matilija Dam was identified Wednesday as 43-year-old Scott Newton Colby.
Several Southern California Edison workers discovered the body about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on a dirt access road near the dam. Colby’s body was lying about 65 feet from his pickup, said Deputy Coroner Jim Wingate.
“It looked like he may have crawled about 65 feet down the road,” he said.
Wingate estimated that the accident happened early Tuesday and that the pickup fell about 175 feet down the hillside.
Officials with the California Highway Patrol said it appeared that Colby swerved off winding Matilija Road when he failed to make a sharp curve about a mile past the turnoff at Highway 33.
The preliminary cause of death was listed as multiple injuries from the crash.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
