Car Injures 3 Workers on Ventura Freeway, 1 Critically

Three Caltrans workers were hurt--one critically--Sunday when they were hit by a car while repairing a divider on the Ventura Freeway, authorities said.

The accident happened about 2:20 p.m. on the freeway near Mureau Road, according to California Highway Patrol spokesman Todd Powers.

The 28-year-old driver of a Mercury Sable was headed west on the freeway when he suddenly veered to avoid stopped traffic.

“The car struck the center divider wall and went airborne,” Powers said. “Along the way it hit two men working by the freeway and landed on a Caltrans vehicle parked on the eastbound side of the center divider.”

The critically injured worker, a private contractor who worked for Caltrans, was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, where he was listed in critical condition, Powers said. The other men, a second contractor and a Caltrans supervisor in the parked vehicle, suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Several lanes were closed in both directions, snarling traffic all afternoon, Powers said.