Community mobilized as Oak Park speeding gets out of hand

By Sylvie Belmond  belmond@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers EVIDENCE--A pedestrian walks by the crumbled Oak Park sign destroyed by a speeding Ferrari.

A 48-year-old Oak Park man was airlifted to UCLA last weekend with serious injuries following an apparent high-speed race on Kanan Road just north of Tamarind Street in Oak Park.

Witnesses said Brian Ciari was driving north on Kanan in a yellow Ferrari at 1:30 a.m. on Sat., Jan 26 and had been racing against another vehicle when the crash occurred.

The wreck destroyed the Oak Park community greeting sign that stood in the Kanan Road median. The road had been slick due to recent rain.

Ciari was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and sent to the hospital for his injuries, which included a damaged lung, a fractured vertebra and a brain hemorrhage. He reportedly was not wearing a seat belt, said Brandon Mumme, spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol.

A source told The Acorn that Ciari was employed at an area Ferrari dealership.

The other vehicle involved in the accident, reportedly a Lexus, left the scene before authorities arrived.