OJAI : Technician Dies in Head-On Collision

An environmental technician gathering water samples in the Ojai Valley was killed in a head-on crash Monday afternoon on California 150 outside Ojai, authorities said.

George H. Tryer, 44, of Santa Paula was driving east near Boardman Road at 1:32 p.m. when his company-owned pickup truck was struck by a pickup driven by Lorraine F. West, 44, of Ojai. West, who was traveling 40 to 50 m.p.h., drove across the center line for an undetermined reason, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

West was taken to Ojai Valley Hospital, where she was in good condition Monday night after surgery on a broken jaw, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Tryer worked as a field sampler for Fruit Growers Laboratory, a Santa Paula agricultural and environmental analysis company hired by farmers, water companies and engineering firms. Company President Darrell Nelson said Tryer, a 15-year employee, was on a routine water sampling assignment at the time of the accident.