3 People Die in Accidents on Weekend of Christmas

Three deaths in the county over the Christmas weekend put holiday fatalities at their highest numbers since 1990.

Alleged drunk driving and a hit-and-run accounted for two deaths on the county’s highways, and a pregnant 14-year-old Oxnard girl was hit by a car as she tried to cross a Port Hueneme street.

Most years this decade have seen fatality-free Christmas weekends. But in 1990, three people were killed on county highways. And in 1994 and 1995, there was one fatality each year.

“Obviously, we’d like to have it be zero,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Steven Reid.

On Sunday about 8:45 p.m., Denise Hernandez was traveling west on California 118 near Center School Road when she swerved off the side of the two-lane road to avoid a head-on collision.

Police believe the other vehicle, which was traveling in the wrong direction in Hernandez’s lane, was a maroon van.

Hernandez, 30, of Ventura died at the scene, medical officials said. She had been returning home with her 11-year-old daughter, who sustained minor injuries.

“It’s just tragic. You know the holidays are always going to be something that’s painful for that little girl,” Reid said. “The victim isn’t always the one that dies. The victim can be the ones that are left to grieve.”

Police are still looking for the driver of the van.

Early Sunday morning, 34-year-old Laurie Briggs of Ventura was allegedly driving intoxicated while heading south on California 33 at speeds exceeding 100 mph. She lost control of the 1996 Volkswagen, which left the road and jumped the Santa Clara River embankment.

She and her passenger, Ephraim Ashton, a 27-year-old Ventura resident, were wearing seat belts, but Ashton sustained fatal head injuries.

Briggs will be charged with gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence, authorities said.

On Christmas Day, 14-year-old Arlene Marrufo died of injuries sustained the day before when she was hit by a car while crossing busy Hueneme Road in the 500 block.

Maruffo, who was seven months pregnant, remained in critical condition for a day before she died. During that time, doctors performed an emergency caesarean to save her baby.

The baby, named Arlando after his mother, remains in fair condition in a neonatal intensive care unit at St. John’s Regional Medical Center.

The victim’s parents, Efren and Leticia Marrufo of Oxnard, intend to raise the child.

In addition to the three deaths, there were 18 additional accidents on local highways, five more than last year, according to CHP reports.

CHP officials are gearing up for another maximum enforcement period beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday. Officers advise New Year’s Eve party-goers to arrange for rides if they intend to drink.

“We’re going to do what we normally do,” Reid said. “There’s going to just be more of us out there.”