Daniel Morales Hospitalized after Ventura Crash on Highway 101 near California Street
Ventura, California (December 21, 2021) – 18-year-old Daniel Bernal Morales of Ojai was injured after being involved in a deadly wrong-way crash early Saturday morning in Ventura, authorities said.
The collision occurred at around 3:00 a.m. Saturday, December 18 on the northbound side of Highway 101, just south of California Street.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Jesus Manuel Calles, 29, of Santa Barbara, was driving a 2007 Honda Accord southbound in the northbound lanes when he collided head-on with a northbound 2008 Nissan 350Z driven by Juan Morales, 18, also of Ojai.
A 2017 GMC Sierra pickup truck traveling northbound also struck the Nissan.
Juan Morales, who graduated from Nordhoff High School in June, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, Daniel Morales, was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center with moderate injuries.
The driver of the pickup truck, Rodolfo Auregui, 18, of Oak View, was transported to Ventura County Medical Center with minor injuries. His passenger, Jonathan Luis Ramirez, 19, of Ojai, was taken to Los Robles with moderate injuries.
Calles sustained major injuries and was taken to Ventura County Medical Center for treatment. He was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter.
Traffic was stopped for an unknown period due to the accident.
An investigation into the accident is underway.