Street Sweeper Veers Off 101; Driver Hurt
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An Oxnard man was in serious condition Thursday after the street sweeper he was driving drifted off the Ventura Freeway near La Conchita and hit a van parked on the side of the road.
Manuel Solis, 42, was driving south in an Isuzu street sweeper about 8 a.m. when he either fell asleep or let his vehicle drift to the right and off the roadway, said Officer Dave Cockrill of the California Highway Patrol.
Solis’ vehicle hit the rear end of an unoccupied Ford van parked on the roadside and knocked it into the southbound lanes.
The impact of the crash ignited a fire in the van, destroying the vehicle, Cockrill said.
The owner of the van was fishing with his son on the beach.
Solis suffered major abdominal and chest injuries and was taken by a sheriff’s helicopter to Ventura County Medical Center for treatment, Cockrill said.
The southbound lanes were closed for about an hour, backing up morning commuters for several miles as emergency crews cleaned up the wreckage, he said.
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