Hungarian Student Dies of Injuries
A 22-year-old Hungarian exchange student injured in a possible alcohol-related traffic accident died Wednesday after being removed from life support, authorities said.
Zsolt Benczik suffered massive head and internal injuries after losing control of his car and slamming into a tree next to the Tierra Rejada onramp of California 23. Two passengers were also seriously injured in the crash, which occurred shortly before midnight Friday.
It took firefighters two hours to free Benczik from the wreckage before airlifting him to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, where he was kept alive until his parents could arrive from Hungary.
Benczik recently finished school in Ventura County and was staying in the country to look for a job, authorities said.
Troy Wilhite, 24, of Thousand Oaks remained at Simi Valley Hospital on Wednesday night. Senior Deputy Coroner Craig Stevens said Wilhite may suffer some paralysis as a result of the crash.
Tamas Dunai, 21, also of Hungary was released earlier this week from Los Robles after being treated for head and abdominal injuries, said hospital spokeswoman Kris Carraway-Bowman.
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