2 Drivers Killed in Crashes

Two elderly drivers were killed in accidents in Oxnard and Simi Valley, one dying six hours after he declined treatment and the other minutes after her car was hit by a Granada Hills driver, authorities said.

The first accident occurred about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ventura Road and Hill Street in Oxnard.

Bobby Hamilton, 77, was driving his Buick Riviera north on Ventura Road and struck a Ford van turning onto eastbound Hill Street, according to Oxnard police.

Hamilton’s passenger, Mertle Bullard, 80, was taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center and treated for a fractured shoulder and abrasions, police said.

The driver of the van, Antonio Cruz, 28, and his passenger, Celia Gomez, 35, both of Port Hueneme, were not seriously injured.

Hamilton, a military veteran and a barber in Port Hueneme for the past 50 years, declined treatment at the scene and went home.

But five hours later he was admitted to the emergency room at St. John’s. He died just before midnight while undergoing treatment.

The autopsy shows Hamilton died due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm, possibly caused by the older-model seat belt in his car, Senior Deputy Medical Examiner Craig Stevens said.

Hamilton, a widower, had lived in the county since 1942.

The second fatal accident occurred in eastern Simi Valley about 8:55 a.m. Thursday at Los Angeles and Christine avenues.

Simi Valley resident Mary Douglas, 69, died after her car was broadsided in the intersection by Andrew Lester, 18, of Granada Hills, Simi Valley Police Sgt. Bob Gardner said.

Both drivers were taken to Simi Valley Hospital, where Douglas was declared dead on arrival.

Lester was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The accident closed Los Angeles Avenue for two hours.

Police said blood tests were taken to determine whether Lester had been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.