Two SP men killed, one seriously injured Friday in Highway 101 crash

July 07, 2010
Santa Paula News

An early morning crash Friday left two Santa Paula men dead and a third seriously injured when their compact car slammed into a tractor-trailer parked on Highway 101 in Agoura Hills, according to a California Highway Patrol spokesman.

Joshua Dubon, 23, and Richard Vasques, 24, were killed in the 4:40 a.m. crash on westbound Highway 101 between Kanan and Reyes Adobe roads.

Joel Dubon, Joshua’s 21-year-old brother and also a Santa Paula resident, was seriously injured and flown from the scene to UCLA’s Westwood Medical Center for treatment, according to the Los Angeles-West Valley Station CHP.

Joshua Dubon was driving a compact car that crashed into the back of the tractor-trailer parked on the right side of the road, according to investigators.

The driver of the truck, Donald Swisher, 45, of Downey, had stopped on the side of the road because he thought he had a flat tire. After checking his tires and determining his vehicle was functional, Swisher had just gotten back into the vehicle when he felt an impact from the rear of the vehicle, according to CHP officials.

Joshua Dubon and Vasques, who was the right-front passenger, were pronounced dead at the scene. Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters had to cut the roof off the car to free the younger Dubon from back seat.

Highway 101 was shut down completely for about 30 minutes while the helicopter landed to airlift Dubon.

All eastbound lanes of the highway were opened immediately after the helicopter took off, but two westbound lanes remained closed until about 8:30 a.m., backing up westbound traffic for miles during the busy morning commute.

Swisher complained of pain in his shoulder but was otherwise uninjured; he was able to drive away from the scene.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.

No skid marks were found at the scene and Joel Dubon told CHP investigators he was asleep at the time of the crash.

The preliminary investigation concluded that Joel Dubon was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, but his brother, Joshua, was not.

An autopsy Saturday ruled both Joshua Dubon and Vasques’ deaths as accidental from multiple blunt force injuries, according to a Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office spokesman.

Joel Dubon was reported Saturday to be in serious condition at UCLA’s Westwood Medical Center on Saturday.

The investigation is continuing.

It is unknown whether alcohol or drugs played any part in the accident and the results of a toxicology screen will not be available for six to eight weeks.





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