Head-On Collision Near Piru Kills 2, Closes Part of Highway

A fiery four-car crash near Piru early Thursday left two men dead and shut down a section of California 126 near the Los Angeles County line for almost four hours.

The accident occurred about 6:40 a.m. when a Honda Accord traveling west apparently crossed into oncoming traffic, sideswiping a pickup truck before colliding head-on with a Honda Civic.

The impact was so powerful that the Civic exploded in flames and its engine was thrown from the car, witnesses said. Flying debris hit a fourth vehicle but didn’t injure the driver.

The driver of the Civic, 20-year-old Jesus Zacharias Chavez of Santa Paula, was killed instantly, said California Highway Patrol Officer Steven Reid. The driver of the Accord was airlifted to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, where he was pronounced dead. His name was withheld pending notification of his family.

The driver of the pickup, Sergio Contreras Ruiz, 33, of Fillmore, and his three passengers were not hurt.

Witness Jim Austin was traveling east on the highway when he saw Chavez pass him at about 60 mph.

“He didn’t get more than 50 yards in front of me when it was suddenly like someone threw a stick of dynamite under his car and it just exploded,” said Austin, 61, of Fillmore. “It was like driving through a canopy of trees with smoke and car parts flying everywhere. The young man had no chance.”

Austin’s Jeep was badly damaged by the Civic’s flying transmission parts, windshield wipers, radiator bits and the entire engine block. He struggled to keep his car from rolling and brought it to a stop.

“I was very fortunate; all that debris could have gone through my windshield and taken me out,” said Austin, who was unhurt but whose car sustained major front-end damage.

The CHP is still trying to determine why the driver of the Accord apparently crossed into oncoming traffic.

“We don’t know if he fell asleep or if he was reaching for something, we just don’t know,” Reid said. Based on witness accounts, excessive speed does not appear to be a factor, he said.

California 126 was shut down from Center Street to the Los Angeles County line from about 7 a.m. until almost 11 a.m. Traffic was backed up for miles.

The CHP is asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact them at 477-4132.