2 Are Killed in Separate Accidents

Two people were killed in separate traffic accidents early Monday on the outskirts of Lancaster, according to the California Highway Patrol.

In the first accident, which occurred shortly after 4 a.m., Jeremiah Santa Ana, 19, of Quartz Hill was driving an older-model Chevrolet van east on California 138 near Old Ridge Route when the vehicle veered to the right and overturned. The motorist’s father, 45-year-old Jose Santa Ana, who was sitting without a seat belt behind the driver’s seat, was killed, said CHP Officer Doug Sweeney.

The driver’s 46-year-old mother, Myrna Santa Ana, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, suffered minor injuries. She and her son were taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, where they were treated and released.

A preliminary investigation revealed the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, Sweeney said.

The second accident happened about 6 a.m. in the 14900 block of Lake Elizabeth Road near Lookabout Road. Matthew Buckles, 17, of Leona Valley, was driving a 1964 Buick Skylark west on Lake Elizabeth Road when the vehicle drifted over the double yellow lines and into oncoming traffic, CHP Officer Matt Gibbs said.

Buckles’ car struck a Ford pickup truck head-on, injuring its driver, 41-year-old Michael Mathews. Buckles, who was wearing a lap belt, was killed instantly. Mathews was taken to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, where he was treated and released.

Gibbs doesn’t believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the accident.

“He may have been grabbing for something or had taken his eyes off the road for just a moment,” Gibbs said. “Most of us have done that at least once in our lives.”