California 126 Crash Kills Pacoima Man

A violent head-on collision east of California 126 east of Fillmore killed a 34-year-old San Fernando Valley man during the Friday morning commute, authorities said.

Martin Contreras Gonzales, a Pacoima resident, was killed when he swerved across the center median at a high speed and crashed into the cab of a Ford pickup driven by Miguel Rodriguez Arreola, 45, of Fillmore, the California Highway Patrol said. Arreola is listed in serious but stable condition at Santa Paula Hospital.

Witnesses told authorities Gonzales drove his 1991 Buick westbound down the center median at speeds up to 80 mph before he appeared to lose control and veer into eastbound lanes. The Buick then slammed into Rodriguez’s oncoming pickup truck at Fish Hatchery Road.

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In the impact, the truck skidded over the top of the Buick, tearing open the car’s roof before rolling onto its side and coming to a rest on the roadway.

Authorities closed several lanes on both sides of the roadway until 11:30 a.m. while they investigated the accident and cleaned up the wreckage.

The crash was the second this year along a 23-mile stretch of California 126 long known as “Blood Alley,” but authorities say the thoroughfare is now considered relatively safe since a road widening project was completed in December 1997. Since the improvements, there have been a total of four fatal accidents that have claimed six lives.

“In the old days, when that was just a two-lane road, it was one of the worst areas for accidents,” said CHP Officer David Webb. “We really haven’t had that many anymore. The problem was alleviated since we widened that stretch.”