2 Men Seriously Hurt in Truck Crash

Two men were seriously injured early Monday after crashing a stolen pickup truck on a ranch between Ventura and Santa Paula, according to the California Highway Patrol.

William Carroll, 34, and James Larmon, 23, both of Santa Paula, were being treated at Ventura County Medical Center following the 5:45 a.m. accident in the 4800 block of Aliso Canyon Road, authorities said.

Larmon was in critical condition with a broken neck, and Carroll was stable in the hospital’s cardiac unit, said a nursing supervisor.

According to CHP Officer Russell Carver, the pair stole a 1996 Nissan pickup Sunday night from the home of a Santa Paula city firefighter.

During a joy ride, Carroll allegedly lost control of the truck while crossing a small bridge on private property. The vehicle flipped, landing upside-down in a creek bed.

The property owner, who heard the men driving around, found the wreckage and called 911, Carver said. Larmon was trapped and had to be freed from the truck by firefighters before being airlifted to the hospital.

Authorities discovered the truck had been stolen when a photograph of the owner’s wife was found inside the vehicle, Carver said. Firefighters recognized the woman as the wife of their colleague.

“At about the same time as the crash, the police in Santa Paula happened to be taking a stolen-vehicle report from the [truck owner],” Carver said.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto but will remain at the hospital until they recover, authorities said. Carver said officers were also investigating the possibility that both men were under the influence of narcotics at the time of the crash.