Members of the Santa Paula school community rallied around a former elementary school principal who was initially listed in critical condition from the Dec. 24 crash on Highway 126 east of Fillmore.
The man was identified by the Santa Paula Unified School District as Alfredo Varela, 44, Glen City Elementary Global Steam Academy’s principal for two years until June, according to a district Instagram post.
“Our heartfelt prayers are with Mr. Varela, his family and the families of those who tragically lost their lives in the accident,” Superintendent Jeffrey Weinstein said in the post. He also wished Varela a full recovery.
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Varela’s condition was described by hospital officials as stable as of Tuesday evening.
He started working for the district in 2017 as a Spanish teacher for Santa Paula High School until moving into administration. He is employed as an assistant principal for Lake Elsinore Unified School District, according to his LinkedIn profile and the Lake Elsinore district website.
The two-vehicle collision happened around 2 p.m. Christmas Eve after the 2024 Volvo SUV Varela was driving veered across the center median and crashed into a 2019 Lexus heading eastbound, the California Highway Patrol had previously reported.
Varela was flown by helicopter to Ventura County Medical Center while the other two occupants of the Volvo, a 35-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman, were transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital by ambulance with moderate injuries, according to CHP.
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The crash also killed Santa Paula residents Carlos Otoniel Perez, 39, and Maria Guadalupe Ceja, 31, and one of their dogs. The couple had been together for over a decade and were beloved by their community, said Robert Rey Garcia Jr., owner and director of Robert Rey Garcia Jr. Funeral Services.
Memorial services for the pair were set to start Friday in Santa Paula and finish with a funeral mass Saturday morning, according Garcia and Perez’s obituary.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Former Santa Paula principal injured in Highway 126 crash gets support
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