Driver, 22, Critically Injured in Collision

An Oxnard man was critically injured early Sunday when he lost control of his vehicle on Pleasant Valley Road and collided with a traffic signal pole.

Around 2:30 a.m., Richard Keeter, 22, was driving eastbound toward the Pancho Road intersection at a high speed, police said.

As he approached the intersection, Keeter began to lose control of his 1989 Chrysler New Yorker, said Senior Deputy John Popp of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

He then drove onto the shoulder and slid across opposing traffic lanes, wrapping his car around the pole.

Ventura County Fire Department personnel cut into the car to remove Keeter. He was taken by helicopter to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, where he is listed in critical condition with major injuries to his legs, head and abdomen.

Sheriff’s officials suspect that drugs or alcohol may have contributed to the accident, but toxicology reports are pending.