CHP TARGETS SPEEDERS ALONG SIERRA HIGHWAY.

Byline: Laurence Darmiento Daily News Staff Writer

In the aftermath of a head-on collision earlier this month that killed a Saugus woman, California Highway Patrol officers armed with radar guns ticketed speeders Monday on Sierra Highway.

Members of a Special Enforcement Unit were patrolling a stretch of the roadway north of the Santa Clarita city limits near the accident site - where many drivers exceed the speed limit, officials said.

"We target problem areas, areas that have high accident rates," said Sgt. Tim Kappen of the CHP's Newhall office. "We are definitely looking for speeders."

The 27-year-old woman died Feb. 7 after her speeding pickup truck, which according to witnesses had been moving erratically, slammed into a big rig carrying a motor home south of Davenport Road, deputies said.

The roadway often is used as an alternative route for commuters traveling through Santa Clarita to and from the Antelope Valley. The number of tickets written Monday was not immediately available.

The unit's action also took place in the wake of two fatal accidents over the weekend in the region.

In the latest crash, a 22-year-old Lancaster woman died Sunday night after she lost control of her 1985 Ford Thunderbird on the Antelope Valley Freeway near Red Rover Mine Road, officials said.

Rosalia Landeros was traveling north on the freeway about 7 p.m. when she hit the center divider and her car flipped. Despite wearing seat belts, she suffered head injuries, said CHP Officer Richard Torres.

A 1-year-old child strapped into a child safety seat was not hurt in the crash, Torres said.

On Saturday night, a collision between a car and a truck on Vasquez Canyon Road claimed the life of a Saugus man whose out-of-control car was hit broadside by an oncoming pickup truck, said CHP Sgt. Tim Kappen.

John Palacpac was traveling east about 6:30 p.m. when he drove his car onto the right shoulder, overcorrected and it ended up skidding across the roadway, where it was hit by the truck, Kappen said.

The force of the impact pushed his Toyota Celica onto its roof, leaving Palacpac with massive injuries, he said.

Alice Martinez, 23, of Canyon Country, the driver of the pickup truck, was seriously injured and taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, he said. Martinez was listed in fair condition Wednesday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.