Driver Flees Scene After 4-Car Crash

Despite using a Sheriff’s Department helicopter and several K-9 units, authorities were unable to locate a man who fled the scene of a four-car collision Friday afternoon on California 126 near Fillmore.

Two people were injured in the 4 p.m. crash on the westbound side of the highway at Old Telegraph Road and were transported to local hospitals for treatment, said Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Dick Dobbin.

California 126 was closed in both directions west of Fillmore for more than an hour, and just one lane in each direction was open Friday night as officers from the California Highway Patrol continued their investigation.

The unidentified man who ran from the scene into a nearby orange grove was still at large Friday night, but the Chevrolet Suburban he was driving was in police custody, authorities said.

CHP officers say the man in the Suburban is probably to blame for the crash. He was heading east on California 126, entered the left-turn lane at Old Telegraph Road at high speed and swerved to avoid rear-ending the car in front of him, said CHP Officer J.F. Patino. The Suburban side-swiped a Cadillac driven by Luis Cruz of Fillmore and crossed into oncoming traffic.

The Suburban ran head-on into an Isuzu Trooper and after the cars came to rest, the Trooper was hit on the passenger side by a Honda Accord, Patino said. Authorities did not release the names of either victim.

The 23-year-old woman driving the Trooper was trapped inside her car, and county firefighters had to use special instruments to free her, Dobbin said. She was transported by a sheriff’s helicopter to Ventura County Medical Center with multiple fractures and cuts to her face and probably internal injuries, Dobbin said.

Paramedics with MedTrans Ambulance transported the 44-year-old woman in the Accord to Santa Paula Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, said Rob Snyder, MedTrans’ field operations supervisor.

The drivers of the Isuzu and the Honda were both wearing seat belts, authorities said.

There were no other occupants in either car.

As for the driver of the Suburban, “he fled through the orchard,” Patino said. “I’d sure like to find him.”

The man is described as Latino, of average height and weight, wearing a green T-shirt with white lettering on the front, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Don Simmons.

Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP at 654-4571.