[12-24-2024] Ventura County, CA – Two Killed, Three Injured After Head-On Collision on Highway 126 East of Fillmore

Two people were killed, and three others sustained injuries, including one critically, in a head-on collision on Highway 126 east of Fillmore on Tuesday afternoon, December 24, 2024.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Ryan Ayers, the crash occurred shortly after 2:20 p.m., about half a mile east of the Fillmore Fish Hatchery near Haines Canyon Road. 

A 2024 Volvo SUV traveling westbound veered across the center median into oncoming traffic and collided with a 2019 Lexus heading eastbound. The Volvo was reportedly traveling at approximately 65 mph at the time of the crash.

Two occupants of the Lexus, a 39-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities are being withheld pending notification of their families.

The driver of the Volvo, a 44-year-old man from Oak View, sustained critical injuries and was airlifted to Ventura County Medical Center. Two passengers in the Volvo, a 35-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman, suffered moderate injuries and were transported by ambulance to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.

Two dogs also died in the crash, one from each vehicle, while a third dog in the Volvo survived and was picked up by a family member.

Firefighters extricated two trapped patients from the wreckage, including the critically injured driver. Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies assisted with traffic at the scene.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and authorities have not determined whether drugs or alcohol were factors.

The investigation is ongoing.