Camarillo resident killed in 118 crash

COLLISION-Bertha Valencia's Honda rear-ended a jack-knifed truck on Highway 118 Wednesday night. Valencia, a Camarillo resident and mother of two, was killed in the accident.

Bertha Valencia, 39, died in a crash on rural Highway 118 west of Moorpark just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Valencia was married with two children, said James Baroni, chief deputy medical examiner with the Ventura County Medical Examiner's office.

According to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Curtain, Valencia's sedan slammed headon into the rear wheels of a jackknifed 18-wheeler truck.

Pedro Castro, the truck's 66-year-old driver, had swerved the big rig when he hit the brakes to slow down for backed-up traffic, early reports indicated.

The Camarillo resident, who was alone in the car, died at the scene.

The accident occurred east of Hitch Boulevard, and so had nothing to do with the intersection, Curtain said.

Traffic on the 118 was div e r t e d f o r s e v e r a l hours while authorities worked to clear the wreckage from the scene.

-Sylvie Belmond