Update On Deadly Weekend Crashes In Ventura County
Wednesday November 09, 2022
Updated on Wednesday evening--The California Highway Patrol has released an important new detail about the head-on fiery crash on Pacific Coast Highway north of Mugu Rock in the predawn hours of last Sunday that killed five people.
They say it was the Subaru sedan with a male driver as the lone occupant that was traveling northbound that crossed into the southbound lane and collided head-on with the Toyota SUV carrying four people that was traveling southbound.
The CHP says they do not know why the northbound Subaru crossed into the southbound lane.
The investigation into the crash is not over.
It was the deadliest of four separate crashes on Ventura County roadways last weekend that claimed a total of eight lives in a little more than 24 hours.
The other fatal crashes happened on Hueneme Road in Oxnard, Foothill Road near Santa Paula, and the 101 Freeway in Oxnard.
In the crash on the southbound 101 north of Rice Avenue in Oxnard Sunday night, 31-year-old Anthony Pacheco lll of Oxnard was arrested for murder, felony DUI, and felony hit and run in a crash that killed a motorcyclist.
But Wednesday while prosecutors charged him with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence they did not charge him with murder.
He was also charged with felony hit and run and a special allegation regarding a prior DUI conviction.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies the special allegation and remains in the Ventura County Jail.
***************************
Previous story from Monday--It was a deadly weekend on Ventura County roads with 8 people killed in 4 separate crashes that happened in 24 hours.
The latest was Sunday night shortly after 10 PM when a Honda Civic rear ended a motorcyclist on Southbound 101 north of Rice Avenue in Oxnard.
The 59-year-old motorcyclist was killed.
The driver of the Honda Civic fled on foot and was arrested following a search of the area.
The CHP says that 31-year-old Anthony Pacheco lll of Oxnard was found at a residence in Camarillo.
He was arrested for murder, felony DUI, and felony hit and run.
The most deadly crash was reported at 4:23 AM Sunday morning on Pacific Coast Highway (SR1) north of Mugu Rock where five people died in a wrong-way head-on fiery crash.
The CHP says that a male driver and sole occupant of a 2020 Subaru sedan was northbound on PCH.
A 2011 Toyota SUV with 4 people on board was southbound on PCH.
For unknown reasons one of the vehicles, and the CHP did not say which one, crossed onto the wrong side of the road and the two vehicles collided head-on and burst into flames.
The CHP says the Subaru sedan came to rest facing the wrong way in the northbound lane and the Toyota SUV came to rest in the southbound lane also facing the wrong way.
All five people were pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash closed that stretch of PCH for more than ten hours Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Oxnard Saturday night around 8:12 PM, there was a solo vehicle fatal crash.
Oxnard PD reported that a white 2005 Chevy Silverado was traveling on Hueneme Road at Edison Drive when it crashed into the center median, hit a tree, and then crashed into a wall.
The driver, a 24-year-old Oxnard man, was rushed to VCMC where police say he died.
Police were told by witnesses that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash.
They say they are looking into whether alcohol or drugs were involved.
And the third fatal crash was reported on Foothill Road west of Aliso Canyon Road between Ventura and Santa Paula shortly before 10 PM Saturday night.
In that crash, the CHP says the 48-year-old male driver and sole occupant of a 1995 Jeep Wrangler was eastbound on Foothill headed toward Santa Paula when the vehicle, for unknown reasons, left the roadway, struck a metal chain link fence and overturned.
The driver was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.
All three crashes remain under investigation and anyone with information should call the agency involved.
No additional information had been released by Sunday night.
