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CHP: Four men injured in solo Castaic area crash, DUI investigated

December 17, 2008
Santa Paula News

Four men were injured - including the driver, a confirmed Santa Paula resident - in a solo vehicle accident that occurred Saturday morning in Los Angeles County, when they were reportedly returning to their homes in the city after work.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesFour men were injured - including the driver, a confirmed Santa Paula resident - in a solo vehicle accident that occurred Saturday morning in Los Angeles County, when they were reportedly returning to their homes in the city after work. Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in the crash, according to a California Highway Patrol spokesman.The accident occurred December 13 when the driver, Palcido Hernandez, 27, lost control of his Honda Civic and the car flipped over the southbound edge of the Interstate 5 freeway just north of Hasley Canyon Road in the Castaic area. The Honda, which sustained major damage, landed on its roof and over wire fencing between the freeway lanes and The Old Road.
Hernandez’s three unidentified passengers were found on the roadway and Hernandez was pinned in the Honda until extricated. One passenger, who suffered a broken leg, was confirmed to have been ejected from the vehicle as it flipped.The crash victims were transported by ambulance to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial and Holy Cross hospitals for lacerations to the head and other injuries, according to the CHP spokesman. The passengers and Hernandez apparently work in Castaic and were on their way home to Santa Paula, he noted.The crash scene was littered with the contents of the vehicle, including empty beer cans, which led the CHP to launch an investigation into whether or not Hernandez - who suffered serious facial injuries - was driving under the influence. A passenger told CHP investigators Hernandez lost control of the vehicle when a tire malfunction developed, causing the Honda to flip over.