OXNARD

Coroner says man's death was accidental

An Oxnard man crushed Saturday by a 2-ton Ford Explorer died of head and neck injuries, coroner's officials reported Sunday.

Officials conducted an autopsy Sunday on Richard Guerrero, 47, said Craig Stevens, senior deputy medical examiner. Guerrero, a salesman at Automobile Exchange on Saviers Road, died Saturday in an accident at the car lot. He was directing another salesman, who was driving the SUV onto a display ramp.

The driver accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, sending the vehicle over the ramp and into Guerrero's head and shoulders, authorities reported.

Police did not expect to file charges against the driver. State industrial safety officials have classified the incident as an accident.

Road closed after mineral oil leak

Oxnard authorities closed a southbound lane of Del Norte Boulevard for about five hours Sunday after an unknown substance was reported on the road. A hazardous materials crew from the Oxnard Fire Department later determined it was mineral oil that had leaked from a truck.

The closure affected a half-mile stretch of Del Norte between Sturgis Road and Fifth Street.

THOUSAND OAKS

Man, 80, dies after being struck by car

An 80-year-old man from India died Saturday in a Thousand Oaks hospital after being struck by a car the day before, police said.

Vikrama Panikkar was walking along the center divider on Olsen Road near Sunset Hills Boulevard about 5:20 p.m. Friday and then started to cross the westbound lanes, according to Sgt. Tom Bennett of the Thousand Oaks Police Department.

Donnie Sims, 54, of Thousand Oaks was driving west on Olsen. He hit Panikkar when the elderly man suddenly turned and walked in front of the vehicle, Bennett said.

Sims was not cited. The accident was still under investigation Sunday, sheriff's Capt. Tim Hagel said.

Panikkar, who was in the United States visiting family, was awake and alert when admitted to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, but his condition worsened and he died about 2:50 p.m. Saturday, police said. The cause of death was blunt-force head injuries, Craig Stevens, senior deputy medical examiner, said Sunday.

From staff reports