Man Slightly Injured When He Dives Onto Freeway

An 18-year-old man suffered only minor injuries Thursday evening after diving 30 feet from the Rose Avenue bridge into rush-hour traffic on the Ventura Freeway.

Oxnard resident Jose Henry Garcia was struck by a car traveling in the southbound fast lane of the freeway about 6:30 p.m., Oxnard police said.

He suffered a cut and a bump on his head and contusions on his back and chest, according to Gold Coast Ambulance personnel, and was taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center.

Garcia was in good condition Thursday night awaiting an evaluation by mental health experts, officers said.

Garcia stood atop the bridge for a few minutes before diving head-first into traffic, officers said. Several cars swerved to miss him, but a woman driving a large sedan could not avoid him. She was not injured.

“She was very upset emotionally,” Oxnard Fire Chief Mike O’Malia said.

The incident forced the closure of all three southbound lanes for several minutes and caused a massive traffic backup that stretched north to Victoria Avenue in Ventura, witnesses said. One lane was reopened about 6:45 p.m., but most drivers were stuck in traffic for at least 30 minutes, witnesses said.

Minor slowing also occurred in the northbound lanes and on the overpass. The bridge area where the man jumped is under construction but open to traffic.