By Leon Worden/SCVNEWS.com
Updated 11:37 a.m. Tuesday. Photos courtesy SCVNEWS.com
A wrong-way driver died Monday afternoon in a head-on collision on State Route 126, about one-half mile west of Commerce Center Drive.
The driver was identified as Douglas James Parry, 57, of Saugus.
His female passenger, Terri Parry, 55, also of Saugus, was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital with major injuries.
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According to a California Highway Patrol report, Parry was behind the wheel of a 2003 Jaguar at 2:05 p.m. when, for unknown reasons, he was traveling eastbound in westbound lanes of State Route 126 at Castaic Creek.
Coming at them were an Athens Services trash truck and a brand-new 18-wheel 2011 International tractor-trailer driven by Amarjit Singh of Delta, British Columbia.
Singh, 46, swerved to his left to avoid hitting the Jaguar but couldn’t swerve quite far enough. The Jaguar glanced off the right side of the big-rig and then struck the trash truck head-on, the CHP report said.
The trash truck appeared to have gone up and over the Jaguar, which was completely destroyed. The trash truck came to a rest farther west down the highway with a mangled front axle. CHP officers said it was leaking diesel fuel.
The driver of the trash truck was identified as Ubaldo Gaytan, 40, of Piru.
Emergency personnel declared the Jaguar driver dead at the scene. His body remained in the driver’s seat until the arrival of coroner’s officials hours later.
A Sigalert was issued. The CHP closed all westbound lanes at 2:18 p.m. and eastbound traffic was limited to one lane. All lanes reopened at 7:05 p.m.