More Paving Urged for Dangerous Road

After two recent fatalities on a dangerous stretch of Victoria Avenue near Oxnard, county officials are moving quickly to extend a roadway improvement project they began months ago.

At the urging of California Highway Patrol officials, the county may spend $20,000 more to pave over the dirt and gravel median where Leticia Camarillo, 28, lost control of her Honda Accord and skidded into oncoming traffic last weekend. She and her daughter, Veronica, 7, were killed in the accident.

In September, five months after Jolie Feeney of West Hills was killed along Victoria Avenue’s notorious S-curve, the county finished paving a portion of the center divider, south of the Santa Clara River bridge.

In recent months, the county spent $20,000 to pave the median in the area where the first accident occurred. Now, after the second fatal accident, the county is considering spending another $20,000 to pave a larger area.

Since 1993, nearly 70 accidents have occurred along the one-mile stretch of road--from the bridge over the Santa Clara River south to Gonzales Road, according to CHP reports. Three people have died since April. In the past six years, at least 77 people have been injured, at least 30 of them critically.

The county is also studying the possibility of building a cement guardrail barrier along the mile-long portion of the roadway, a project that would add several hundred thousand dollars to the cost.

“It’s a high priority for us,” said Butch Britt, who oversees the county’s transportation division. “That’s our job, to try and make the roads as safe as possible.”

Craig Jones, the husband of Angela Jones--who broke both legs in the accident that killed Feeney--was glad the county had paved the median where the crash occurred. But he said more should be done. Jones said his family has hired an attorney and is considering filing a lawsuit against the county.

“I drive that road all the time,” said the Port Hueneme resident. “I’ve thought something needed to be done for some time. It’s a shame something like this had to happen before changes were made.”

The strip of Victoria Avenue is among the most dangerous of county roadways, officials said. The county is also working to improve several other roads with high accident rates. Those projects include a $300,000 project on Moorpark Road, between Santa Rosa and Tierra Rejada roads, and an $800,000 project on Donlon Road at California 118 and California 34.

On Victoria Avenue, in both directions, the gravel and dirt median is at the root of some safety concerns.

Drivers who become distracted and swerve into the center divider often lose control of their vehicles once their tires hit the gravel, CHP officials said. Their cars can then slide across the median into oncoming cars.

Or, drivers sometimes swerve back into traffic in the same direction and careen off a 40-foot embankment.

“It’s a natural reaction we all have,” said CHP Officer Fred Baskin, who is working with county officials on the improvements to Victoria Avenue. “You end up over-correcting and swerving out of control.”

Some accident victims said they had dropped a cigarette on their lap. Others said they were fiddling with the radio, or even brushing their teeth. And there are those who said they turned their head for just a moment to gaze at the rows and rows of purple flowers in the nearby fields.

The problem is exacerbated because people often ignore the 55 mph speed limit along the S-curve, although several bright yellow signs warn of the curves ahead.

“The highways are not killing people,” Baskin said. “It’s people who are not paying attention to their driving. They’re usually going too fast and once they hit the gravel they’re in trouble.”

CHP officers say Camarillo may have turned to look at her 7-year-old daughter, Veronica, when she drifted into the median. She had just returned from an evening church service.

At the accident spot last week, Camarillo’s black tire marks were still clearly visible. While Baskin examined the tire marks stretching across the median, a pickup truck sped along the northbound lanes. The truck driver slammed his breaks, and barely avoided rear-ending a car.

Baskin did not hide his disgust.

“Would you look at that?” Baskin said in an angry voice. “Did you see that? See what I mean? I mean, they are not paying attention.”

Several yards up the road, the veteran officer crouched at the spot where Feeney was killed in a similar accident in April. The 27-year-old communications major at Cal State Northridge lost control of her BMW several yards north from where Camarillo crashed. Like Camarillo, she also hit the gravel divider and spun into the northbound lanes.

Feeney had just filled her gas tank at a nearby station before losing control. She was broadsided by a pickup truck and killed instantly. Authorities report that a toxicology test found alcohol in her system that exceeded the legal limit.

Baskin bent to take a closer look at a worn white teddy bear wearing a T-shirt that read, “I love tennis” that might have been placed at the accident site by a loved one.

Near the toy bear was a vase filled with plastic red roses and a miniature pine tree.

Baskin said he wasn’t too worried that the small shrine might distract motorists. In fact, he believed such offerings would serve as a serious reminder for motorists to slow down.

“When people see this, it will give them pause,” Baskin said. “They’ll think, ‘Maybe I’d better chill out on my driving.’ ”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Hazardous Roadway

Three people have died since April, and 77 people have been injured along this one-mile stretch of roadway near Oxnard since 1993.

FATALITIES

1. Jolie Feeney was killed April 24, 1999

2. Leticia Camarillo and her daughter Veronica were killed October 3, 1999