Driver Injured When Car Runs Into Truck
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A Thousand Oaks man remains in critical condition after his car struck a disabled truck at the transition of Highway 23 to the Ventura Freeway, authorities said.
Craig Tucker, 34, was heading southbound on Highway 23 when he drifted onto the shoulder of the transition about 6:45 a.m. and hit a stake-bed truck, the California Highway Patrol said. The impact peeled the roof off Tucker’s Toyota Corolla.
Tucker suffered head and spinal cord injuries and remains at Los Robles Regional Medical Center, the CHP said.
Alejandro Rodriguez, 28, of San Fernando and Cruz Rodriguez, 18, of Panorama City were sitting in the truck when it was hit. They were not injured.
Tucker, who was wearing a seat belt, was traveling about 70 mph, officials said. Officers are not sure why Tucker drifted onto the shoulder, but it’s not uncommon for drivers to do so, said CHP investigator George Orozco.
“Maybe he just didn’t see the vehicle,” he said.
The CHP closed the transition for 15 minutes and kept one lane of the Ventura Freeway closed for two hours, slowing traffic for several hours.
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