Ojai woman dies in vehicle accident
By Lenny Roberts

The body of a 57-year-old Ojai woman was discovered Sunday in her vehicle by a passerby in a remote section of Ventura County off Highway 33.

Eileen Baker's crumpled 1996 Ford Taurus was located down an 80-foot embankment off the state highway approximately two miles north of the Apache Canyon Creek bridge, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

CHP Officer Mark Ehly said Baker was alone in her car, was wearing her seat belt at the time of the incident, and there was no evidence that the accident was alcohol-related.

"For reasons unknown, her vehicle just ran off the road and down the embankment," Ehly said, adding that there were no witnesses to the accident and the exact time was unknown. Both front air bags were deployed.

Because of the distance of the discovery from Ventura, the Kern County Coroner's Office retrieved Baker's body approximately five miles south of the Santa Barbara County line.

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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