The Antelope Valley Times

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Head-on collision injures 2

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NEWHALL – Two motorists were injured in a head-on collision Wednesday night after one of them — a Lancaster man — allegedly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed on San Francisquito Canyon Road, authorities said.

The crash occurred around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, on San Francisquito Canyon Road at Mile Marker 8.9, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

Carlos D. Ballardo, 28, of Lancaster was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt at about 80 mph north on San Francisquito Road, “approaching a westerly blind curve in the roadway,” the CHP report states.

Meanwhile, Brian Zimmerman, 37, of Green Valley was southbound in a 2013 Hyundai Elantra approaching the same location at about 50 miles per hour, according to the CHP.

“(Ballardo) moved his vehicle from the northbound lane into the southbound lane across double solid yellow lines in order to pass slower traffic traveling northbound,” the CHP report states.

“Witnesses stated (Ballardo) passed approximately five to six vehicles at an extremely high rate of speed and in a reckless manner in the southbound lane as he entered the blind curve in the roadway,” the CHP report states.

The two vehicles then collided head-on. Ballardo and Zimmerman sustained major injuries and were transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital for treatment, according to the CHP report.

Traffic on San Francisquito Canyon Road was reduced to one lane for about two hours while the crash investigation was conducted. Ballardo was not immediately arrested, but the investigation was continuing.

Anyone with information regarding this collision is encouraged to contact  the CHP’s Newhall Area office at  661-294-5540.

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

13 comments for "Head-on collision injures 2"

  1. My thoughts and prayers are with both Zimmerman and Ballardo. It is a horrible thing to learn that one has caused someone else’s life for making poor decisions. The journey ahead will be long and hard, but stay strong in your endeavor to continue on for the Zimmerman family. (Rom. 15:5)

  2. For the 15 years, through 300 sets of tires and break changes every 6 months, I drive this road everyday to work from Lancaster. I’ve seen some serious wrecks occur through out my time here on this road 99% which could have been prevented by obeying the speed limit or at least using the turn outs when faster vehicles approach from the rear.
    Lesson from this situation:
    Move B get out the way get out the way B get out of the way

    • … principle objective of commuting is, preserving your vehicle; extending its lifespan. The commute, Lancaster to Valencia, via the 14 freeway, constantly panic stopping the vehicle, was just too hard on the car. I found, commuting San Francisquito Cny, I could drive there and back at a pretty fair clip, almost never touching the brake pedal, and without impeding fellow commuters. The most irritating thing about my San Francisquito Cny commute was, overcautious motorists ahead, constantly riding their brake pedal. If you’re swapping brake pads every 6 months? You’re a nuisance. You’re an idiot. You’re part of the problem –

      • Nope, im the jerk that rides your tail because your going to slow and you dont know what a turn out is.. My breaks go bad because I drive onto downtown LA and the stop and go slam on the breaks traffic on the 5 causes it.

      • The nitwit’s swapping out brake pads every 6 months, on account he’s a pent-up type-A hothead, going tick-tock, tick-tock, every morning grinding enamel tailgating his fellow commuters. Mere matter of time, watch him go kla-blam. Over something like a woman thoughtful commuting San Francisquito Canyon, preserving her vehicle, it will be something trivial which triggers this idiot’s flashpoint. I guarantee, it’s inevitable he does something rash –

        • I drive the Canyon to SCV daily too from Leona Valley. I do obey the double yellow and I do not make any aggressive moves I just go with the flow but I never hold anyone up I dont mind moving over for commuters that are flying and risking everyones lives and I DO NOT ride my breaks however I too have to change my tires often and my breaks as well often. Dont know if its correlated.

          • FYI: Driving that road will indeed cause you to go through tires and breaks often. Its not riding the breaks that cause your breaks to go out faster then the norm but how you apply them to stop and/or the cause is most likely the rotors not being turned EVERY TIME you change your breaks which in turn causes breaks to go out faster then normal by far. I love San Francisquito and Boquet Canyon Roads which is maybe 25% of my shops business. Keep up the way you drive people my family needs to eat.

    • For the love of automotive….
      IT is BRAKES.
      Without brakes you run the risk of breaks to your bones.

      • I particularly liked the “I’m a SCV mechanic” guy who apparently didn’t know that.

  3. I pray that they both recover from this horrible accident. So that the victim can go back with his family and the suspect can rot in prison.