SANTA PAULA : Man Killed When Car Strikes Pole

An 18-year-old Santa Paula man was killed when he crashed into a power pole while driving to pick up his mother at the Ventura store where she worked, authorities said Wednesday.

Jeffrey Gardner, a senior at Santa Paula High School, died about 9:05 p.m. Tuesday when his car struck a pole on Foothill Road, Ventura Police Sgt. George Morris said.

Police said Gardner was driving at freeway speeds along the two-lane road when he ran onto a curb, skidded across the pavement and hit the power pole, totaling the car and temporarily cutting power to a large section of Ventura.

There was no indication whether alcohol was involved in the crash, Morris said.

Gardner’s mother, Phyllis, worked at J.C. Penney in the Buenaventura Mall, Deputy Coroner Jim Wingate said.

Two passengers, Jaime Fernandez, 18, and Danny Salazar, 20, both of Santa Paula, were pinned in the car after the accident, Morris said. Firefighters used extrication equipment to free the pair.

Fernandez was listed in critical condition at Ventura County Medical Center, a spokeswoman said. Salazar was listed in fair condition in the rehabilitation unit at St John’s Medical Center.