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Four people killed in traffic crash in Lancaster [updated]

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Both vehicles came to rest in the desert northwest of the intersection of Avenue H and 30th Street West, sheriff’s officials said. [Image by APRIL JENKINS]
LANCASTER – A driver allegedly ran a red light and caused a two-car collision in Lancaster Wednesday afternoon, leaving him, three other people and at least one dog dead, authorities said.

The crash was reported around 12:05 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14, on Avenue H and 30th Street West, according to a news release from the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station.

A man driving a tan Toyota Avalon west on West Avenue H failed to stop for a red light and collided with a silver Volkswagen Jetta that was going northbound on 30th Street West, according to the news release.

The impact forced the Jetta into a signal pole and all three occupants, a man and two women, were ejected. It appears none of the three were wearing seat belts, officials said.

“Two of the occupants were killed upon impact, with the third getting transported to Antelope Valley Hospital where she was pronounced deceased,” the sheriff’s news release states.

A dog described as a Queensland heeler died at the scene and another dog was taken to an animal hospital, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez, who was unable to immediately confirm a report that the second dog died as well. The dogs had been traveling in the Jetta, the deputy said.

The man driving the Toyota Avalon was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s news release.

All four decedents were residents of Lancaster, and their names have not yet been released pending next of kin notification, officials said.

The crash, response and subsequent investigation closed 30th Street West, between Avenue G-8 and Avenue H-12, and West Avenue H, between 25th Street West and 35th Street West, according to the sheriff’s department.

Anyone with information regarding this collision is encouraged to contact the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station at 661-948-8466.

UPDATE: The second dog — a 2-month-old Siberian husky — was taken to an animal hospital, where it was euthanized because it had a broken back, sheriff’s officials said.

UPDATE: Authorities have identified three of the four people who died in the collision. The man driving the Toyota Avalon has been identified as 41-year-old Thomas Saint Andrew. The man and one of the women in the Volkswagen Jetta have been identified as 59-year-old Victor Ocampo and 38-year-old Wendy Marie Fisher. All three were from Lancaster. The name of the second woman in the Jetta is being withheld pending notification of her relatives.

UPDATE: The second woman in the Jetta has been identified as 26-year-old Samantha Kathline Jensen. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

[APRIL JENKINS]
[APRIL JENKINS]
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25 comments for "Four people killed in traffic crash in Lancaster [updated]"

  1. Can someone explain to me the psychology of a tailgater? Why do they stay on you’re a$$ and increase danger exponentially when they can just pass you?

    I’m not questioning the daily commute. That’s always stressful. But if the road is wide open and they still try to bully you to move over, even when you’re speeding, I just slow down. If they back off, I speed up. Some are just drones that drive like robots. When I slow down they regain consciousness and pass. Some don’t have licenses, are ignorant of road rules and have more experience driving burros. They have no conception of the danger and physics involved in steering a 4000 lb. vehicle at 70-80 mph. Lots of tailgaters are female nowadays, which wasn’t the case years ago.

    I once wired a truck to turn on the bright backup lights on demand. That was fun. Please don’t tailgate.

  3. Thanks for the update on the dog, couldn’t sleep not knowing the fate of the dog

  4. “All four *decedents* were residents of Lancaster, and their names have not yet been released pending next of kin notification, officials said.”

    *deceased*

      • In the overall given context of the sentence, it would indeed be “deceased”. In cases where there are deaths, it’s customary to keep the names of the victims secret until next of kin have been notified. The author of the article did not mention that they had already been contacted. It’s not a matter of needing a dictionary, it’s a matter of word choice error. It’s highly possible that the author wrote the draft on their phone and then never noticed the error.

        • Regardless of whether the next of kin had been notified or not, the word “decedents” is still used correctly.

        • They didn’t notice the error because they didn’t make one. Deceased is primarily used as an adjective. Decedent is the better choice if you want a noun, as it was used here.

    • Oxford Dictionary

      plural noun: decedents

      a person who has died.
      “the executor of a decedent’s estate”

  6. “A man driving a tan Toyota Avalon west on West Avenue H failed to stop for a red light…”

    I am guessing that the driver was drunk, drugged, or distracted. Maybe all three…

  7. I’m so tired of all the inpatient ignorant people in dirty AV that Run the Red light what the heck is wrong with you people Dam dirt is making people so stupid