WOMAN KILLED WHEN CAR HITS BUS.

Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer

CALABASAS - A three-vehicle crash involving a Greyhound bus left a Canoga Park woman dead and the driver of her car seriously injured Friday, officials said.

The crash occurred about 12:20 a.m. when a 2005 Toyota Scion went out of control on the Ventura Freeway at Lost Hills Road, officials said. It hit the bus, then caromed into a 1988 Toyota, which also crashed into the bus and then hit a guard rail.

The unidentified woman was not wearing a seat belt, and was ejected from the 1988 Toyota. The driver, Jose Mancia, 49, suffered a major back injury.

``They say I have a break in some part of my back,'' Mancia said in a telephone interview from his room at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. ``That's why it hurts so much. I feel a lot of pain.''

One of 23 passengers on the bus suffered minor injuries, officials said, but the driver of the Scion was unhurt.

CHP Sgt. Jeff Loftin refused to say whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

``It's important for everyone to be wearing their seat belts, to be aware of their surroundings when driving and to be aware of the vehicles around you,'' Loftin said. ``Steer clear of anyone that appears to be driving impaired.''

Josh Kleinbaum, [phone]

josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com