PASADENA >> Authorities Thursday released the name of a 79-year-old retired priest who was killed when the ambulance he was riding in collided head-on with another vehicle on Fair Oaks Avenue over the weekend.
Nelson Munoz Vergara died at a hospital following Sunday’s 4 p.m. crash between a private ambulance and a Jaguar sedan on Fair Oaks Avenue, just south of Hammond Street, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.
The release of his identity was delayed as coroner’s investigators unsuccessfully sought Vergara’s next of kin, Harvey said. It was determined that Vergara was a retired priest who was being cared for by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and living at a Pasadena convalescent home.
Vergara was a retired, visiting priest from South America, Archdiocese of Los Angeles spokeswoman Monica Valencia said.
“We are saddened that a retired priest, who was visiting us from Chile, was killed in a vehicle crash on Saturday,” Archdiocese officials said in a written statement.” “The Archdiocese of Los Angeles grieves the loss of our brother, who blessed us with his warmth and friendship, while he was with us. We pray for the strength and comfort of his family and friends, and offer our prayers for the repose of his soul.”
Vergara was being taken to a routine dialysis appointment when the crash took place, officials said.
The ambulance, operated by Montebello-based Lifeline Ambulance, was southbound on Fair Oaks Avenue when a northbound Jaguar crossed into opposing traffic lanes and collided with the ambulance, Pasadena police Lt. Pete Hettema said. Why the northbound Jaguar crossed into southbound lanes remained under investigation.
A 21-year-old San Bernardino man who was driving the ambulance and his partner, a 27-year-old Whittier man, suffered minor injuries in the crash, police said.
A 68-year-old Altadena woman at the wheel of the Jaguar suffered injuries including a broken leg, officials said. Her injuries were not life-threatening.
The results of toxicology tests were pending, however alcohol did not appear to be a factor, Hettema said.
No arrests were made as the investigation continued.
– Brian Day and Ruby Gonzales