Santa Monica man dies in crash near Oxnard

OXNARD, Calif. – A man from Santa Monica was killed in a single-vehicle crash near Oxnard Thursday afternoon.

It happened around 4 p.m. near the intersection of Rice Avenue and Channel Islands Boulevard.

According to the California Highway Patrol, 67-year-old Paul David Leal was driving a 1991 Honda Civic southbound on Rice Avenue when he lost control and crashed into a metal post near the Channel Islands Boulevard intersection.

The vehicle then hit another pole before coming to a stop in a grassy area off the road.

CHP and Oxnard firefighters arrived on scene and used heavy equipment to rescued Leal from his damaged vehicle.

He was taken away in an ambulance but was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Leal was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

CHP says it's unclear if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, but the collision remains under investigation.

Anyone who may have information about the crash is asked to urged to call Steve Lutzke, the public information officer for the Ventura Area CHP Office, at 805-662-2640.