Sylmar man killed, SP man receives minor injuries in Highway 101 crash

January 11, 2008
Santa Paula News

A Santa Paula man suffered minor injuries when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash that killed the driver, who is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, according to the California Highway Patrol.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA Santa Paula man suffered minor injuries when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash that killed the driver, who is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, according to the California Highway Patrol.The crash occurred Tuesday, January 8 just after 6 a.m. when the driver, Sergio Garcia, 54 of Sylmar, was driving a truck traveling south on Highway 101 in Carpinteria, according to the CHP. Gabriel Luna, 35 of Santa Paula, was a passenger in the truck.Garcia and Luna were returning from an overnight painting job at Santa Barbara Airport when the truck drifted onto the shoulder of the highway, careened several hundred feet through ice plant, hit a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar located under the Bailard Avenue overpass.
Garcia, who was seated on the side of the truck that hit the pillar, was pronounced dead at the scene. Luna had to be extricated from the vehicle by emergency personnel and was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released.Both Garcia and Luna were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. CHP Investigators believe that Garcia might have fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the fatal crash.Following the crash, the southbound lane of Highway 101 was closed for almost four hours to allow Caltrans to pick up debris from the crash, including a small amount of paint that spilled during the accident.



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