Woman Killed, 2 People Hurt in Accident on 118

A 25-year-old Camarillo woman died after she lost control of her car and skidded into oncoming traffic on California 118 near Somis on Tuesday morning.

Kaiya Ann Myers was pronounced dead after being taken by helicopter to Columbia/Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Rosa Pascual, 29, of Moorpark, and Pablo Perez, 31, of Simi Valley, were injured and treated at area hospitals.

Myers was driving east on the two-lane portion of California 118 about 10 a.m. just east of La Cumbre Road, said CHP spokesman David Cockrill. She drifted onto the right shoulder and then tried to steer back onto the road only to veer into oncoming traffic, where a van driven by Perez broadsided her car, Cockrill said. Pascual, driving behind Perez, hit the two cars.

Traffic backed up in both directions as CHP officers closed the road to investigate the accident, Cockrill said. The road reopened at 2 p.m.

Residents have long complained about the dangers of the two-lane portion of California 118. The narrow road, combined with a high volume of traffic that includes many trucks, is a recipe for disaster, they say.

“It’s a two-lane rural road that is probably carrying more traffic than was ever anticipated,” said Chris Stephens, manager of planning and highway programs for the Ventura County Transportation Commission. “It has curves, no lighting, and when you do have an accident, it can be a serious one.”

After four people died on the 14 1/2-mile stretch of road between Moorpark and Ventura in 1995, area residents formed Citizens for a Safe Highway 118 and lobbied for additional safety measures. Caltrans started a daytime headlight program last March. Additional signs urging drivers to slow down were also erected.

There were no fatalities on rural California 118 in 1996.