Crash on Pacific Coast Highway south of Mugu Rock injures multiple patients

A head-on crash on Pacific Coast Highway near Thornhill Broome Beach in Ventura County Tuesday night sent five people to local hospitals and blocked the route in both directions for hours.

Two people suffered major injuries.

The accident, which involved three vehicles, was reported around 8:25 p.m. on a stretch between Point Mugu and the beach, near the entrance to the La Jolla Canyon trailhead, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 19-year-old man from New Mexico had been driving a blue 2012 Ford Fusion northbound with a 12-year-old boy in the passenger seat, CHP officials said in a news release Wednesday.

The Fusion crossed the double-yellow centerline for unknown reasons just north of La Jolla Canyon and hit a gray Subaru Forester and a white 2010 Toyota Yaris head-on, authorities said.

Two passengers in the Toyota, both Oxnard women age 18 and 19, were taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center with major injuries. One suffered fractured vertebrae and the other a fractured sternum, according to the CHP.

A 20-year-old Oxnard woman in the Toyota and the two people in the Ford were transported to local hospitals with moderate to minor injuries.

In all, seven patients were treated at the scene by emergency medical crews, said Officer Ryan Ayala of the CHP's Ventura-area office.

An 18-year-old Pacific Grove man driving the Toyota and a 33-year-old Oxnard man driving the Subaru weren't transported to hospitals, Ayala said.

The CHP is continuing to investigate the crash. DUI is not believed to be a factor, officials said.

The highway was blocked in both directions for about two hours. The road reopened around 10:30 p.m., CHP reports showed.

This story may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Injury crash reported on Pacific Coast Highway south of Mugu Rock