5 Injured When Van Hits Parked Motor Home

LA CONCHITA — Five people were injured, one of them seriously, when a van crashed Sunday into a recreational vehicle parked along the shoulder of the Ventura Freeway in La Conchita, authorities said.

The van was southbound on the freeway when it struck the motor home about 2 p.m., causing the van to flip, authorities said. A portion of the freeway was closed for half an hour to allow a Sheriff’s Department helicopter to airlift the driver of the van to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was treated for serious chest and head injuries.

Four other people, all occupants of the 32-foot motor home, were taken to the medical center with minor to moderate injuries. Authorities said the people in the motor home were spared serious injury because they were not sitting in the area struck by the van.

The names of the victims were not released by the California Highway Patrol.

Witnesses said the van veered to the right and crashed into the bedroom portion of the motor home, which was parked legally in a recreational zone overlooking the ocean. Also damaged was a car on a trailer connected to the motor home.

The overturned van came to rest across both southbound lanes.

Passersby, fearful of an explosion due to flammable liquid leaking from inside the van, pulled the driver free and stayed with him until paramedics arrived.

The freeway closure brought southbound traffic to a standstill for about six miles, while gawkers on the northbound side also stalled traffic around the crash site.