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Officials identify three Moorpark residents killed in solo crash
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Hernandez- Lara
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More from Breaking NewsOn the spot where three Moorpark residents died in a weekend car crash in Oxnard, three votive candles stood Monday amid matted plants and fragments of plastic car parts.
Nestled in a patch of flat dirt dug from the sloping base of an ornamental planter, the unlit candles came with pictures of Jesus Christ, the Virgin of Guadalupe and St. Jude Thaddaeus, the patron saint of desperate causes. They memorialized the two men and one woman who died when their red Ford Taurus slammed into a concrete block wall of the Car Quest Auto Parts building at 1000 E. Fifth St. in Oxnard shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday.
Celestino Hernandez-Lara, 37, was driving east on Fifth Street when he failed to negotiate a gradual bend in the road and slammed into the corner of the auto parts store, police said. His wife, Irma Apostol-Reyes, 30, was in the seat beside him, and fellow Moorpark resident Alejandrino de la Cruz-Matas, 42, was sitting behind her.
All three were pronounced dead by paramedics minutes after the crash.
Oxnard police were still working Monday to determine what caused the crash and where the Moorpark residents were coming from when it occurred, traffic Senior Officer Maria Peña said.
Authorities were waiting for the results of toxicology tests, which can take weeks, to determine if alcohol or drugs played a part in the accident. There was no evidence of either at the scene, Peña said.
Hernandez-Lara and his wife were wearing seat belts, Oxnard Police spokesman David Keith said. De la Cruz-Matas was probably not wearing a seat belt, he said.
Hernandez-Lara died of blunt-force neck and brain stem injuries, said Senior Deputy Medical Examiner Craig Stevens. Apostol-Reyes died of blunt-force head injuries. De la Cruz-Matas died from blunt-force chest and neck injuries.
It was the latest in a series of fatal single-vehicle accidents this month.
Richmond D. Ard, 57, of Ventura was killed April 5 when his motorcycle left the road near Canada Larga Road and Highway 33 north of Ventura.
Newbury Park High School junior Cody James Murphy, 17, was killed and four fellow students injured when he lost control of a car on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on April 8.
Desiree Mooney, 18, of Camarillo was killed and three young men injured when she crashed on Highway 33 in Ventura on April 20.
Crashes involving single vehicles represented about 60 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in Ventura County from 2003-06, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Posted by Pogmothoin on April 28, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Damn, no airbags in the Ford Taurus? Must have been going prett fast if there was. RIP
Posted by whatever on April 28, 2008 at 9:30 a.m.
(This thread was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by yotonto on April 28, 2008 at 11:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
To the Star,
As usual your information is conflicting. Here you state that the driver is 37 yrs. old, his wife is 30 yrs. old and the rear passenger is 42.
In the printed newspaper, you wrote that the driver was 36 yrs. old and the passengers were between the ages of 18 and 20!
You guys never cease to amaze me. And you wonder why you receive such bad comments from the public.
You don't check out and verify simple facts.
I know, blame the police for this misinformation.
Posted by JC on April 28, 2008 at 11:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm going to guess it was the booze that sent them into the store.
Given that Paramedics usually don't pronounce on scene unless there is catastrophic injury I'm guessing this one looked pretty bad.
Posted by mtorres on April 28, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is so terrible. There families, children. May God Bless them.
Posted by AnnaWhaat on April 28, 2008 at 5:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yotonto ,No disrespect.But I think they go by what they are told when it first happened and print it then when they find out more info. Such as names or ages from Police reports they then report what they find.
JC ,I agree, it had to be really bad ! So sad!
My deepest prayers go out to thier family's and friends. May they all rest in peace.
Posted by jesuterra1971 on April 30, 2008 at 1:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
HI! MY NAME IS JESUS... I CALLED 911 THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT... THE CAR WAS IN A DARK SIDE OF THE STREET AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE THE TRAGEDY; MY BOSS AND ME LOOK IN SIDE THE CAR WITH FLASH-LIGHT WHEN WE FOUND THE SCENE... ON THAT MOMENT WE PERCEIVED DEATH AROUND... I FELL SAD!! I WOULD LIKE TO BE IN THEIR FUNERAL I WILL FEEL BETTER! DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INF ABOUT THE FUNERA?? jesuterra@yahoo.com
Posted by gramagracie on May 1, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For jesuterra1971, I will keep you in my prayers. Having upon a terrible accident and feeling death is overwhelming, please talk to someone who can help you with this feeling of sadness.
Check with the police see if they can give the family your message.
God Bless you, I hope you get to meet the families.
Posted by JaysPerfectWealthcom on May 1, 2008 at 11:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Too Sad...RIP
Posted by StayInSchool on May 2, 2008 at 9:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why doesn't the Star report all known pertinent facts in their articles? Who in the Star is responsible. Email the editor about every article missing facts.
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