Driver Injured When Car Hits Motor Home

A Santa Maria man was seriously injured Wednesday when he lost control of his 1977 Ford Ranchero and slammed into a motor home parked on the shoulder of eastbound California 126 between Ventura and Santa Paula.

The 1 p.m. crash near Edwards Ranch Road closed both eastbound lanes for an hour, causing a traffic backup of more than 2 miles, California Highway Patrol Officer Dave Cockrill said.

Lyle Tisdel, 55, was traveling east when he clipped the bumper of a parked, 25-foot motor home. The impact shoved the coach several feet off the roadway and crumpled the Ranchero, Cockrill said.

“He was wearing a seat belt at the time and it definitely saved his life,” Cockrill said.

Firefighters extricated Tisdel from the wreckage. He was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he listed in serious but stable condition Wednesday night with head and neck injuries.

Motor home driver Augustine Acosta, 69, suffered a cut on his ear. His wife, Laura, 70, suffered minor bruises, officers said.

The couple had been driving to their Norwalk home after camping at Pismo Beach. Augustine Acosta said he had parked on the shoulder to use the restroom in his motor home when the accident occurred.

“I went flying. I hit the walls,” Acosta said.

It remained unclear what caused Tisdel to drift toward the shoulder of the road. When interviewed at the hospital, he said he did not remember the crash, Cockrill said.

No citations were issued Wednesday and the crash was under investigation.