Oxnard Man Killed When Car Hits Pole
An Oxnard man speeding away from the scene of a minor accident was killed early Sunday when he struck a light pole on Pleasant Valley Road and was ejected from his vehicle, police said.
Raul Soto, 23, was southbound on Saviers Road near Pleasant Valley Road about 2:30 a.m. when he rear-ended a pickup truck driven by Gary Burch Jr., 30, of Camarillo, Oxnard police said. Soto continued driving, turning onto Pleasant Valley Road without stopping.
Officers on patrol in the area who heard the collision saw Soto’s Ford Probe traveling at high speed and followed it.
At Pleasant Valley Road and Terrace Avenue, police found that Soto had hit a street light, severing it at its base. Soto, who was found lying in the street, apparently ejected from his vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Soto’s vehicle also slammed into a brick wall, raining car parts and debris onto an adjacent mobile home park and damaging two mobile homes.
Pleasant Valley Road between Rose Avenue and Longfellow Way was closed for seven hours while police investigated the crash.
Burch and a passenger, Christina Fazio, 21, of Camarillo were not injured in the rear-end collision.
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