Upper Ojai crash injures two men
By Lenny Roberts

Two Ojai men were severely injured Tuesday evening when the 1977 Ford Econoline in which they were riding crashed on Ojai-Santa Paula Road.
Both men, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Reid, nearly had their right arms severed at their elbows in the 6:19 p.m. crash.
Upper Ojai resident Terje Riisnaes witnessed the crash. "It looked like it went straight off the road," he said.
Reid said the driver, Reynaldo Lopez, 25, was traveling westbound near Sulphur Mountain Road when he lost control of the vehicle for reasons unknown. Alcohol was not a factor in the incident, and neither he nor his passenger, Hector Zepeda, 26, was wearing a seat belt, Reid added.
"For whatever reason, Lopez lost control and went off the roadway into a ditch and the van came to rest on its right side against a utility pole. We don't know why he ran off the road. There were no skid marks, and he was unable to make a statement because of the substantial injuries he sustained," Reid said.
Highway 150 was closed to traffic in both directions for more than 30 minutes because of extensive extrication procedures, which were complicated due to the position of the vehicle and substantial bleeding of both men.
Lopez was airlifted to the Ventura County Medical Center and Zepeda was transported to the Ojai Valley Community Hospital for treatment.

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

Back to the news