Oxnard Girl, 13, Dies After Van Rolls Over in Ventura

A 13-year-old Oxnard girl died Saturday in an auto accident when her 16-year-old brother, who had recently gotten his driver’s license, lost control of their van.

Lucia Renteria, an eighth-grader who family members said loved boxing, was pronounced dead at Ventura County Medical Center about 2:45 p.m. Saturday after the van careened off the southbound side of Victoria Avenue south of the Santa Clara River, according to authorities.

Initial reports indicate that Freddy Renteria lost control of the Toyota minivan as he was driving south in a 55-mph zone, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Don Hatch said. He was in the fast lane and for some reason veered to the right and went over a 15-foot embankment, Hatch said.

The minivan rolled at least once and landed on its top.

A Ventura County Sheriff’s Department rescue helicopter was called to the scene and took Lucia to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival, according to a CHP spokesman. An 11-year-old friend who was riding in the back seat next to Lucia was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries.

Lucia’s mother, Margarita Renteria, was riding in the front passenger seat, according to Hatch. She was taken to the hospital and released.

Officers had not determined the cause of the crash as of late Saturday.

The vehicle will be inspected by a special police crash unit over the next couple of days, Hatch said.

“We’re dealing with a fairly new driver, from what I gather,” Hatch said.

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He said he was not sure if Freddy Renteria’s driving inexperience had anything to do with the crash or if there was some other contributing factor.

At the scene, a tearful Freddy Renteria said: “I just lost control.” He was not seriously injured.

The mood at the Renteria home in Oxnard was somber about 7 p.m. Saturday as family members tried to deal with their loss. Freddy was quiet in his thoughts and not accepting callers, according to his sister, 37-year-old Patsy Renteria of Oxnard. Their mother had gone to a local church for spiritual guidance, Patsy Renteria said.

Margarita Renteria and her husband, Mike, had a total of seven children, some together and some from previous relationships. Lucia was their youngest, born in Ventura on Oct. 28, 1982. And although not all of the siblings are directly related, they all refer to one another as brother and sister, Patsy Renteria said.

Lucia would have started the eighth grade in the fall at Robert J. Frank Intermediate School in Oxnard.

Like the rest of the Renteria family, Lucia loved boxing, and whenever the family gathered around the TV for a good match, Lucia was right there.

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Her favorite boxer was World Boxing Council super-lightweight champion Oscar de La Hoya, and she especially liked it when she could watch a match side-by-side with Freddy, Patsy Renteria said.

“The last fight she and Freddy watched together was Oscar de La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez,” she said. That bout was June 7.

Lucia liked to play soccer, and she was gearing up for tryouts with a local team. She also liked talking on the phone and skating, according to Patsy Renteria.

“She was always so happy-go-lucky,” she said. “And she had the cutest little dimples on her chubby little cheeks.”

Entering a new grade in school was not the only milestone on the 13-year-old’s mind. Two years from now, she would have celebrated her quinceanera, a traditional Latino celebration for 15-year-old girls, and already her parents were saving up for the big day.

“Lucia was looking forward to wearing her white dress and was looking forward to her dinner-dance,” Patsy Renteria said.

“I wish she would have been a twin. That would have made this easier to deal with,” she said.