Man Critical After Being Struck by Van

A mentally disturbed Ventura man was seriously injured Thursday afternoon when he was struck by a vehicle as he attempted to cross Main Street after earlier talking with workers from the county’s mental health agency, authorities said.

The man, whom police did not identify, was struck by a white van traveling eastbound on Main Street as he attempted to cross the street between Laurel and Ann streets about 3 p.m. after leaving the offices of the Turning Point Foundation, a private mental health agency that is on the same block.

He was transported to Ventura County Medical Center, where he is reported to be in critical condition, said the foundation’s executive director, Clyde Reynolds, who also declined to identify the man pending notification of relatives.

Reynolds confirmed that the man had talked to members of the county’s mental health crisis team at the group’s daytime outpatient facility earlier in the afternoon.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, and it’s unclear if the man’s mental state played a role.

“We do not have the authorization to make the determination that would result in a person being hospitalized,” Reynolds said. “If we have some reason to suspect the person may be in crisis we would call [the county team]. . . . It’s hard to determine at the moment if he was confused or he was doing this deliberately.”