VENTURA, OXNARD : 3 Killed, 1 Injured in Separate Accidents

Three men were killed and another was injured in two car accidents that took place in Ventura and Oxnard, authorities said Tuesday.

In the Ventura crash, which occurred about 11:30 p.m. Monday, 22-year-old Eduardo Juevara Carbajal of Ojai died at the scene after the vehicle in which he was riding smashed into a tree, said Claude Ball, an officer with the California Highway Patrol.

A second passenger died early Tuesday at Ventura County Medical Center, Ball said. As of late Tuesday, the coroner’s office had not released the name of the second victim because they had been unable to notify his family.

The driver of the car, 21-year-old Juan C. Garcia of Ojai, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was in fair condition.

According to authorities, two CHP officers spotted Garcia driving 65 to 70 m.p.h. north on Ventura Avenue north of Dakota Street and just outside Ventura city limits, Ball said.

When the officers, who were driving south on Ventura Avenue, turned to follow Garcia’s car, they saw the vehicle strike a palm tree and bounce back to the road, Ball said.

In the Oxnard accident, 71-year-old Calvin Kittleson died after his car was hit broadside by a pickup truck that ran a red light at the intersection of Vineyard Avenue and Ventura Road, police said.

Kittleson, a Virginia resident who was visiting his son and daughter-in-law in Ventura, was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at St. John’s Regional Medical Center, police said.

The driver of the pickup truck, 18-year-old Michael Calderwood of Oxnard, did not suffer any injuries. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, police said.