Man Dies When Car Drifts Off Freeway

An Oxnard man who drove his car off the Ventura Freeway on Friday died from internal bleeding caused by a lacerated liver, the county medical examiner said.

Daniel Salas, 34, was driving north on the freeway around 5:45 a.m. when, for some unknown reason, his 1983 Chevrolet sedan drifted off the right side of the road and into the bushes near the Main Street offramp, said California Highway Patrol Officer David Cockrill.

“Witnesses say Salas was going about 65 mph in the No. 1 lane approaching the [California] 126 split,” Cockrill said. “He drove off at an angle and struck a milepost.”

Salas was the only person in the car, and the car did not roll over, Cockrill said. “He just drove over the post and went into the bushes,” he said.

Paramedics arrived, and Salas was transported by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Based upon information fromwitnesses, authorities had suspected Salas suffered a heart attack. However, an autopsy on Friday found the cause of death to be the laceration of his liver suffered when he drove the car off the road, authorities said.