Good Samaritans hit, one fatal, while assisting crash in Oxnard

One good Samaritan is killed, and the other one is in the hospital after stopping to help a car that crashed into a tree for unknown reasons. While assisting the injured passenger in the crashed car, another vehicle hit the Samaritans, and the driver fled on foot.

Oxnard Police responded to a car collision on the 1900 block of East Valley Road, just wast of Syracuse Drive around 9:38 p.m. on Sunday. When officers arrived they found two females with serious injuries. One woman, a 51-year old Oxnard resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second woman, a 23-year old Oxnard resident, was transported to a local hospital and is in a stable condition.

Officers determined that a white 2000 Cadillac Escalade was traveling eastbound on Pleasant Valley Road when for unknown reasons, left the roadway and struck a tree. The Escalade then backed onto Pleasant Valley and parked blocking the #2 lane. The driver of the Escalade fled the scene leaving behind an injured passenger.

Shortly after the collision into a tree, a white 2018 Jeep Latitude was traveling eastbound on Pleasant Valley Road before stopping in the #1 lane with emergency flashers to assist the Escalade.

According to Police, as the good Samaritan women were approaching the Escalade, a black 2005 Ford Expedition traveling eastbound on Pleasant Valley Road struck both the Jeep and the Escalade as well as the two Samaritans. The driver of the Expedition fled the scene.

Shortly after the collision, Oxnard Police received a 9-1-1 call of a suspicious subject on the roof of a residence in the 2000 block of Walden Street. Oxnard Police and Fire responded and were able to remove the suspect from the roof. Oxnard determined the suspect from the roof was the driver of the Expedition and has been identified as 49-year old Oxnard resident, Francisco Javier Garcia.

Police say Garcia was driving under the influence of alcohol during the time of the fatal collision. Garcia was arrested for felony hit-and-run, driving under the influence causing injury, and gross vehicular manslaughter.

No information was made available to the driver of the Escalade.

Anyone who witnessed or has information regarding the collision is asked to contact Officer Mike Wood from the Oxnard Police Department 805-385-7750.