Survivor of Truck Crash That Left 3 Dead Dies
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The sole survivor of a pickup truck that plunged off a mountain highway north of Ojai died Monday night from head injuries sustained in the accident.
Chauki Villegas, 26, of Bakersfield died at Ventura County Medical Center, where he had been in critical condition since the Saturday night accident, said Deputy Coroner Armando Chavez.
Two other passengers, Villegas’ 26-year-old wife, Judy, and Debra Lynch, 37, both of Bakersfield, also died in the accident. The driver, 37-year-old Gary Sears of Bakersfield, survived the crash, but apparently committed suicide at the scene, investigators say. The four had been shooting at targets in the Los Padres National Forest earlier in the day.
Sears was driving northbound on California 33 near the Santa Barbara County line when the extended-cab pickup truck left the road and plummeted off a cliff. The Sheriff’s Department is investigating the accident.
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